Christmas is one of those meals where whatever is taking centre stage — be that turkey, goose, or something else entirely — is so rarely the hero of the meal. Christmas is time when whatever is served alongside that main shines.
To that end, I’ve shared my top two side dishes below. Everyone will have their own method for really nailing a banging roast, but my recipe below is, I reckon, pretty much unbeatable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Secondly, here’s one for cracking pigs in blankets. The dish is simple enough, but a little extra detail goes a long way — in this case, a little maple glaze that really lifts it. Give it a go — and truly, a very merry Christmas.
The ultimate roast potatoes
These are crispy, crunchy, soft-in-the-middle, perfect roasties — a must for every Christmas dinner. The polenta helps achieve the crispy outer layer, while the parmesan makes them next-level savoury and incredibly moreish.
My top tips here are that hot oil is key for the golden, crispy coating, and parboiling is vital for texture. You can get ahead by parboiling the potatoes and dusting them with polenta first thing, before simply roasting them off at lunchtime.
Either way, try these and you’ll never cook your roasties any other way again. Trust me, these give perfect results every time.
Prep time: 35 mins
Cook time: 1 hr 10 mins (including turning time)
Ingredients
Method
Perfect pigs in blankets
These are easy-peasy pigs in blankets with a gorgeous maple syrup glaze. Just like with the potatoes, you could prep these the day before and put them in the fridge, then simply glaze and cook the next day. Remember to bring them up to room temperature before cooking, so they cook evenly. A Christmas favourite, these are supersized and guaranteed to go down a treat.
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
- One at a time, lay the bacon rashers out flat, stretch them by scraping a knife along them, then wrap each one around a chipolata. Place on a lined oven tray until you have 16 bacon wrapped sausages.
- Brush each one with maple syrup and put the tray into the oven on a high shelf for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, turn each sausage over and brush again with maple syrup. Return the tray to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Transfer the pigs in blankets to a serving dish and brush with any remaining maple syrup before serving. Dive in — they’ll go quickly.
