Another Roast in the tiny...tiny oven

Recipe #59: Perfect Roast Chicken with baked potatoes and spicy greens.

I had been craving Roast Chicken for weeks now and finally FINALLY I got it. The frozen chook spent the day in the fridge but didn’t defrost one bit so it was stuck in the microwave. I know, I know... please don't judge. It came out with bits cooked and ewww it looked hideous. But we we're not going to have hideous chicken for dinner, no not at all. We were having Perfect Roast Chicken. I microwaved two tiny lemons after stabbing them a good few times then stuffed them up its bum with some fresh rosemary, covered the chook in olive oil and lots of S&P. Placed it on top of 3 carrots, an onion and a bulb of garlic which was roughly chopped.

It was then time to go into the oven and cook for 1 hour and 20min. I part boiled the peeled potatoes and scrapped the outsides to make them crunchy, covered them in olive oil and threw them into a foiled tray with a good dowsing of S&P and a handful of garlic cloves. They were then bunged in the oven after the chicken had had about 40min cooking.

This is how I did the next bit because I have a small small oven at home but if your lucky and have a normal sized one or even a large one (oh so jealous!) you can do it your way. Once the chicken is nearly cooked, I swapped the potatoes and chicken around so the potatoes can crunch up and got all my ingredients ready for the greens. Once the potatoes have crunched up; the chicken came out to rest while the gravy was simmering and the spicy greens were steaming. I served it up steamng hot and all that was left to do was... Eat, Laugh and Love.

Spicy greens.
- About a tbs of extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- A handful of frozen peas
- 2 zucchini’s chopped into rough large-ish chunks
- A good handful of green beans
- Small bunch of fresh parsley
(Really you can use any greens you like; this is what we had in the fridge and freezer)
- A glass of white wine
- S&P
- Nob of butter
- squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

How To: Heat up a frying pan on medium heat and add some extra virgin olive oil. Add the chilli flakes for about a min or until you can smell them then add the greens (all of them inc parsley) and white wine. Give it a good stir and S&P-ing then add a nob of butter and place a lid on it to steam. Turn the heat down to a low simmer here until the wine has nearly cooked away and the butter has melted. Quick taste and add more seasoning (you can add the lemon juice here) and enjoy.

Jamie's Gravy How To: Take your chicken out of the pan it cooked in and spoon out some of the fat if there is too much. Stick the tray over the hob and start to squash all the goodies that the chicken was sitting on into a mush. Add 2 tbs of plain flour and stir until all cooked away. A splash of white wine and cook the liquid off then add some water. Keep on the hob for about 5-10 min until thickened and tasting amazing. Season to taste.

mmm yum :)

I'm sorry Jamie.

Recipe's #30 and 31: Dinner tonight was Baked Cod wrapped in Bacon with Rosemary and Baked French Potatoes. Sounds fabulous and restaurant worthy right?


Two words is all tonight gets. YUK and FAIL.


The fish when baked poached... the potatoes also poached in stock that didn't evaporate when it should have. The bacon and rosemary was nice but I'm not a huge fish eater and well cod is a very fishy fish. The thought of food is making me feel ill.


Molly the cat didn't even get the cod that we left uneaten. The bacon was eaten but the cod.... was filed under B for bin.

Definately the "Bring a Salad" salad.

Recipe #26 and 27: Trout with mustard & oats and Evolution Potato Salad.


The potato salad is a revelation! Delicious!
    (The trick is to dress it while to potatoes are still warm.)
Firstly peel your potatoes and then boil them in salted boiling water for 10-15 min until cooked through. Mean while mix extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, salt natural yoghurt and fresh chive in a jar. Shake!
     While the potatoes are cooking start on the trout. Now I’m not a fish eater and always avoided fish when possible so I am very proud that I not only ate the fish but also cooked it. And you know what!? I’d do it again it was so nice.
     Preheat grill to as high as it goes. Rub a baking tray with olive oil and place washed trough fillets skin side down on the tray. Rub each fillet with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and season with some S&P. In a bowl add one handful of oats for each fillet and drizzle them with olive oil. Pat the oats down on top of the fish and drizzle with more olive oil. I got sick of this patting fish and touching the smelly stuff so I used spray oil and it worked perfectly!
     Put your baking tray under the grill for about 10min or until cooked through and golden on top. By this time your potatoes should be cooked and drained. While still hot dress the hot potatoes with dressing in a bowl.


Serve with a salad (Jamie suggests watercress but we tried this last night and none of us ate the watercress… ew it tasted like someone has spilt their perfume over it.) and enjoy! The only let down was that there was tiny bones in the fish. One of the reasons why as to child I hated fish.

Oops i did it again...

Dinner tonight was Griddled lamb chops with chunky salsa, best new potato's and salad with yoghurt dressing. Recipe's #21,22, and 23.


    Lets start with the chops. Jamie asks you to cut your tomatoes in half, deseed your chilli and pepper, cut your chilli in half and your pepper in quarters. Sounds easy enough don't you think... well not to me. I deseeded the chilli's and diced them. Next thing Jamie asks is to put your fingers in your mouth after chopping the chilli's... no wait. Thats just me who does that.
    Drizzle lamb with olive oil and season. Place upright on a hot griddle pan and add veggies cut side down. Cook for 4-5 min turning in between.
   Meanwhile the potatoes should be boiling as they take 15 min. While everything is left cooking, Chop salad. Warning: Do not try hold cucumber and knife in same hand and unwrap cucumber with the other hand. You will cut your self on very sharp knife. Make dressing (yoghurt, white wine vinegar, olive oil, pepper and salt in a jam jar.) 
    Once the potato's are cooked and the lamb is also cooked and the veggies are tender and juicy turn everything off. Add butter, petter salt and chopped min to the potatoes and serve. Chop basil, the cooked pepper, tomato and chilli (eh! one step ahead of you Jamie)  into a chunky salsa and add a dash of red wine vinegar, olive oil, pepper and salt. Warning: Do not try and pick up the salsa with your fingers and move it to a bowl. This will burn your finger and make them sting for hours after.


Serve chops with salsa on top and potatoes in a bowl for people to serve them selves. Salad is great after as a refreshing finish. It was yum! Mum even liked the dressing better then hers... but I have to disagree. Nothing can beat Mum's dressing.