Caitríona Redmond: Roast chicken with herb dressing & crispy root veg — a kitchen staple
Crispy Roast Root With Herb Chicken & Veg Dressing
There are staples that I pop into my trolley every week without even thinking.
These are the ingredients that shore up my food budget; I know will be great value and we will definitely eat them and use them in full by the time I go to the shop again.
It strikes me that, while I talk a lot about swaps that a family living on less can make, or ingredient suggestions, I don’t talk about the humdrum purchases that provide the foundations for my family meals.
These unsung heroes of my shopping trolley are my reliable way to keep the bank balance out of the red and save me from overthinking the price of food each week.
It’s not that I’m complacent, I understand that the price of food fluctuates, but even if these foodstuffs vary in price a lot I can still justify buying and using them frequently.
When shopping in the dairy aisle I will always buy milk, butter, and cheese. From slathering on toast to baking, adding to mash, and a myriad of other uses, butter is a must.
I only ever buy supermarket brand milk and butter because there’s little difference in quality from one supermarket to another.
Irish dairy is amongst the best in the world and without a doubt we are spoiled for choice.
Buying private label/own brand butter is a very simple way to cut back on the grocery bill.
Yesterday one of the teens grabbed a pound of butter for me in the supermarket and I think he lost the run of himself.
He spent a fortune on a well-known brand name, and I have learned the need to be more specific in future when I send him to the shops for messages!
The carbohydrates in this house come from four main sources that I keep in plentiful supply. Bread is either a made from scratch wholemeal loaf or a sliced pan from the supermarket for sandwiches.
My lot have become picky and absolutely love a decent sourdough, one of the few things I don’t bake at home.
It’s an expensive choice meaning we indulge once a month or so and manage with conventional sliced loaves in between.
Rice, I buy in bulk and replenish the stores when it runs out.
A 5kg bag will last us about 6-8 weeks so I put aside a few cents every week to go towards that big bill.
Pasta is a brilliant value source of energy because it’s simple to store and cook, buying supermarket label (own brand) can save a fortune when doing your weekly shop.
Finally, and the most important purchase is a bag of Irish spuds.
I know the price has increased quite a bit lately due to poor ground conditions for several years in a row.
Still, we need to support farmers because there is nothing quite like a bowl of fluffy mash or crispy roast potatoes.
If we don’t support our producers, we may struggle to buy the spuds when we need them in the future.
If your storage boxes and bags have acquired a tan or taken on a slightly orange residue from carrying tomato and carrot-based sauces, no fear: I have a few solutions for you to consider.
There’s nothing wrong with that light tint, it just makes me feel like my boxes aren’t clean enough and that is motivation to take them to task.
The simplest option will solve most fake tanned lunchboxes. Pour a cup of plain vinegar into a basin and fill up to three-quarters with cold water.
Submerge the affected lunchboxes and weigh them down with a tin of beans to stop them from popping to the top.
Leave the boxes to soak overnight and then wash as normal with dish soap in the morning.
For more pesky stains, make a paste with 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda, a half teaspoon of table salt and a half tablespoon of water.
Rub the paste all over the box with a soft cloth and leave to dry for a few hours before washing as normal.
Hopefully either option will banish weary lunchboxes and give your stores a refresh.
If you simply can’t stand your boxes getting stained, I highly recommend moving to glass boxes instead.
Wing Pieces Use Than Rather Like A Chicken Friendly Keep Whole Thigh, This Budget Cheaper Roast Meal Chicken Leg, To Or Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Total Time Course ingredients Chicken Bone Thighs And (on Skin The 1kg On) Chopped Skin Baby Quarters 1kg On Into Potatoes, Peeled Lengthways 300g And Chopped Carrots, Peeled And Parsnips, Lengthways Chopped 200g Of Sliced Half Bulb Garlic, In 1 Chopped Peeled Into Onions, And 2 Medium Quarters The Dressing: for Olive Oil 75ml Fresh 5 Stalks Thyme 4 Stalk Fresh 1 Rosemary Tsp Sea 1 Salt Cracked 1 Freshly Pepper Tsp Black method Sear The And Make Dry For And Baking On First Is The Heatproof It Vegetables Large, Down Baking Preheat The To The Use Chicken It Minutes Medium And Oven Thighs And Onto A Hob To Dish Onto Add Fan Off To Then Suitable A A Hob Place The To Skin Hob The Take Dish High Turn To Heavy 2 The Hob 180°c Baking Sit Side Heat Sure 1 Dish 1 Top Skin Dish Dish The With The Of The Then The To Strip Baking Up Thyme Into The Side And For Stalks Baking Dish Place Leaves Thighs Of For Olive Oven Pour Stir Right Stalk (reserving Hour The To Into Vegetables, On 40ml Fresh Contents Some Baking Of Chicken 3 Oil Some From Of Then Well Rosemary Later) Roast The Along With A The Finely And A Olive Stalks) Bine Rosemary Oil In Of Leaves Food Blitz And The Thyme The Leaves Remaining Alternatively, Mini And Little And The Salt (discarding Oil Processor With Chop Remaining Seasoning The Serving The Tray Herb Oven With The And The Remove Chicken Oil Before Is Cooked, From Cooked The Meal Drizzle OnceRoast chicken with herb dressing & crispy root veg
Read More