Well hello there. Despite my case notes staring at me from my notebook, I am writing a quick post and recipe for ye all. I am soooo good to you, really… Well with a sudden change in weather yesterday from lovely and sunny to a sudden downpour which I endured going over to Mary, Laura and Anjuli’s house to be sociable, I think it’s time to start with the winter recipes. Do I hear a woohoo! Or perhaps a more dignified ‘Oh lavely, how spiffing’.

But first, an announcement. We shall be having a Winter warmer cookalong on the 5th of November, please do take part. Not only shall it be a delectable feast inspired by wooly jumpers and fluffy slippers, we have a cracking judge – Cully & Sully to give a prize to the participant they deem most worthy. And it shall be fun! In order to inspire you, I shall be posting a few recipes that would work nicely for it.

The first is a lovely (courtesy of Jamie Oliver with a few wee changes here and there):

Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken with Rosemary Roast Potatoes and Carrot and Parsnip Mash.

What you need

• 1 (preferably free range) chicken
• 1 whole bulb of garic, broken into cloves and peeled
• 1 unwaxed lemon (see kitchen tips and tricks if you can only find waxed for info on how to dewax)
• A saucepanful of potatoes. I shall not judge. It’s cold out. you need your energy. Peeled and cut the larger ones in half. Make them about the size of a golf ball
• 5 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• A handful of fresh rosemary
• A good sized knob of butter
• Sea salt and black pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat over to 180 degrees C.
2. Put your lemon, potatoes and all garlic into a large pan of salted water and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. While they are cooking, prepare your chicken by ensuring giblets are removed, and pat it down with some kitchen roll. Pop it onto a roasting tray (no lid needed). Then take your butter and rub all over the outside of the chicken. Season with plenty of sea salt and pepper inside and out.
4. Drain, remove the lemon and garlic, and put potatoes back on the turned off hob to steam for a while. You should put a newspaper over them. Don’t ask me why, you just do. Only not the farmers journal. Cos Richie keeps them and shall be annoyed if you turn it into a potato smelling wrinkled steam catcher. Toss them about a wee bit as well so that the outside gets all floury.
5. Prick the lemon a few times with a fork while still hot, and put it and the garlic into the cavity of the chicken.
6. Pop in the oven for an hour.
7. Here you can chop your rosemary up and throw it into the potatoes while they wait.
8. After an hour your chicken should be sizzling nicely and you should have some lovely juices bopping around the bottom of the roasting pan. Take your chicken out, move it onto a plate for a few seconds while you get the potatoes sorted.
9. Take your potatoes and pop them into the juices. Give it all a good swirl and get them covered. Then push them to the sides and put your chicken right back in the middle.
10. Put them all back into the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the leg just pulls away easily. If you’re fancy schmancy you can use a meat thermometer but I go by how easily the leg pulls off. I have yet to get food poisoning so it seems to work.
11. You may need to turn your potatoes around at about 25 minutes through the cooking process. I generally forget. But it might be worthwhile.
12. While the chicken is in the oven, prepare your carrots and parsnips. Wash, peel and slice them evenly. Leave aside in a pan until about 20 minutes before the chicken is due out of the oven.
13. When you have about 20 minutes to go, add a minimal amount of boiling water to the pan and cover with lid. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until soft enough to pass a fork through. Drain (Keeping juices for gravy should you choose to make it), and leave to steam for about 5 minutes, so that you won’t end up with watery mash. I reissue my sentiments about the farmers journal here.
14. Mash the carrots and parsips with a potato masher or with a hand mixer if you forgot to bring a potato masher to Dublin with you as can happen to SOME people. Ahem.
15. Take out your beautiful chicken and delightfully browned roast potatoes. Stare at it and wonder if you have the heart to cut it up. Then get the delicious scents wafting toward you and decide ‘why yes I do’. Serve generous portions to your guests who will love you forever.
16. Enjoy!