Family friends around for dinner Saturday night- can i do a roast?

I’ve done a roast chicken(s) for Friday/Saturday night suppers with friends. Just roast as usual, lots of butter, herbs, stuff with lemon, sitting on veg, but instead of traditional sides, I put a few topped heads of garlic in as well, one per two people eating, keep basting the chicken with wine, and serve it with a couple of salads and warm crusty bread. Use the garlic to butter the bread, add hot chicken, dip in the jus - glorious! And if there’d be a mutiny about there being no spuds, I’d roast some fingerlings with herbs, or make a one pan Greek orzo dish with lots of cherry toms and feta. Lemon tart for pudding and job’s a good ‘un

I’m surprised anyone is bothered what they get, if someone else is cooking it 🤣

still, seeing the responses here maybe the thing to do is ask them if they’d prefer a roast or whatever option 2 you’re happy making.

Yes many people don't do a roast because they are too busy, kids doing sports etc. everyone loves it. It's a great thing as everyone will tuck in, talk its like a living oxo advert

Sorry not on a Saturday night. I am a bit hardline though with no Yorkshires other than with beef.

Absolutely I love a roast anytime especially if I don't have ro cook it

Personally, not on a Saturday night, but I’m not a huge roast fan. I don’t really think of it as dinner party food if that’s the vibe you’re going for, but you know your friends best.

No real reason why not, but it seems odd to me and not the sort of meal I would cook for friends coming round. There are loads of other main courses you could prepare beforehand, e.g. some sort of casserole, a tray of mixed veg to shove in the oven to roast, and just cook rice or pasta at the end, or a luxury fish pie.

I’d do something else, a lot of people have a roast on a Sunday.

Ditch your friends and invite those of us who love roasts and we can all have a great night!

How about porchetta? Or a german style roast pork with potato dumplings? Kleftiko? A roast which is something a bit more/different sort of thing.

Roast beef is my favourite, & if I went for dinner to my friends , who cares if it’s Sat, Sun , Mon or Tue !
I’d be delighted 😊.
You said kids will eat it too , so I’d def go with Roast 🙌

How about a pot roast? A roast, but not.

Maybe a kind of roast. So rather than chicken with roast potatoes and veg, do roast chicken, dauphinoise potatoes or celeriac gratin and a green veg. Or roast beef, but with homemade chips/wedges, grilled flat mushrooms, roasted baby onions and a peppercorn sauce.

I would happily do a roast with a twist - peri peri chicken with skin on potato wedges, for example. Or a roast chicken with Indian spices and gunpowder potatoes. Similar sort of idea but ring the changes.

I agree. It’s just a bit dull and heavy for a dinner party.

We had a roast last night that was truly better than our Christmas dinner, pure chance.
Get your oven on OP. If they don’t want another roast on Sunday they can get themselves a pizza 🥳

YABU because to me, a roast is an awful meal, I'd be gutted to be served one any day/night of the week 😫

No I think it's weirder to start cooking at 9am and be eating at 12-1pm. To me it's too hectic for the cook and too heavy a meal that early.

So evening is perfect. You do slow roasted meat if you do want to do prep earlier on in the day. But you can use shop bought stuffing and pig in blankets etc, and do a tray of roast veg and potatoes all together to save on oven space.

In fact I'd cook a chicken on top of the potatoes and veg then have greens or peas and ready made stuffing as sides. And definitely no shame in using bisto!

A roast dinner would be my absolute last choice at anytime. I’d be surprised to be given it on a Saturday night. To me, it’s just not dinner party material.

I think it's more than fine. Maybe I'm lazy but I think it's the ideal hosting meal - easy to alter for preferences and not much faffing around at the end as long as it's timed okay (and not doing yorkshires!)

You could send a message soon with the effect of 'doing a roast if you have any requests', so they don't get something in for Sunday and can plan around. I don't think it's henious at all, it's meat and veg!

I'd have a roast dinner any day of the week, with lots of crispy roast potatoes, followed by crumble and custard 😋

I personally wouldn’t want a roast on a Saturday evening. I’m not a huge fan of a roast anyway, but Saturday is for something a bit fresher and more exciting than a roast.

But you can absolutely mimic the cooking process - do a leg or shoulder of lamb with Middle Eastern sort of spices, serve with flatbreads, hummus, olives, salad. This is our Easter meal every year. Same easy cooking process but not meat, potatoes, veg and gravy. Or do a stew with new potatoes and greens, again you just have to whack the meat in the oven for a few hours and then the sides take like 10 minutes.

We had one today 😂
At this time of year, any day is perfect for a roast!

How about toad in the hole, with all the sides? Saves buying a joint.

We love a roast-especially when it’s cooked by someone else! As long as they enjoy roasts, it’s an excellent idea. 😋