Please help me cook a roast dinner… with these ingredients

[BonjourMonsieur]

Okay, I am a terrible cook and actively avoid cooking. Usually my husband does all the cooking but I need to do a roast dinner for friends and I’ve no clue where to start!

These are the ingredients I have:

Potatoes: are these too small to do roasties with?

Carrots: I wanted to do honey glazed carrots. Do I cut the ends off and peel first?

Chicken: what’s the easiest way to roast this without poisoning everyone? I have a meat thermometer. How many should this one feed? Weight is 1.738kg

Thanks all! 😃

If you have flour, eggs, milk make some Yorkshire puddings (controversial with chicken I know!)

Honey glazed carrots - cut into large chunks/halves put in a roasting dish drizzled with honey, a splash of water or orange juice if you have some and sprinkle with salt. Cover with tin foil and put in the oven at the same time as your chicken.

halve the potatoes (up to you if you peel or not, I would if you want proper roasties) and boil for about 15 mins in very salty water and leave to drain/steam in the colander about half an hour before you take the chicken out whack the temp in the oven up and put in the tin you are going to cook the potatoes in with just oil in. Once it's had about 10 mins in there take it out again and tip the potatoes in and make sure they are coated in the hot oil all over and then put them back in the oven.

take the chicken out when it's had about and hour and a half and tip the juices into a saucepan, cover the chicken with foil and a tea towel and leave it to rest while the potatoes roast.

heat then juices up to boiling point and mix a tablespoon of cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water in a mug. Tip it into the boiling juices a little at a time until you get the thickness you want. Simmer in the pan until ready to serve, you can add in any additional juices from the chicken that have come out while it's been resting.

do some frozen peas as well as a second vegetable.

To make stuffing - chop an onion and fry in a sauce pan. Once it's softened add in two or three slices of chopped up bread (the staler the better) and two teaspoons of dried sage. Add water until it becomes a pulpy mix and then spoon into a roasting dish. Put it in the oven to bake/roast at the same time as your roast potatoes. I often spoon some of the chicken juices over the top of it at that point too.

Keep it simple and reduce washing up it my motto.

Chicken takes 25 mins for 500g + another 20 minutes. So a medium 1.5 kg chicken would take 95 minutes and a large 2KG one needs 120 minutes at 190 degrees C.

Preheat your oven for 15 - 20 minutes first, spread butter thickly on the skin and add salt & pepper. Cover with foil until the last 30 minutes of cooking.

When the chicken is in, prep the potatoes. Small new potatoes are great roasted as they are, larger ones need peeling and cutting to size.

You can pad boil the potatoes - cover with water & bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes. Drain them and allow to steam dry while you heat your oil in your roasting pan (another 5 minutes) then add them to your now sizzling oil. Cook for an hour to an hour & 15 depending on size.

Remove the tops of your carrots and wash them, cut into large chunks and add to one end of the potato pan 45 minutes before the end of cooking time. After 40 minutes add a drizzle of honey to the carrots.

Remove your chicken and let it rest for 20 minutes or so while you make your gravy & cook any other vegetables.

Stuff the chicken with lemons or oranges. Drizzle with olive and season well. I always cook my chicken upside down for the first 30 minutes - theory is the juices pool I'm the breast and keep it moist.

You will need at least 5 baby carrots and 6 green beans for each plate. Steam the beans for 7 mins and dress with crushed almonds & and a handful of cranberries.

Potatoes - I boil until fallen (probably 16 minutes) then drain and smash them a bit. Dress with olive oil, rosemary and a generous pinch or salt. Lay on a baking tray and roast for 30 mins at 190.

I'd have a dessert ready - something ready made - to top people up. It's very unlikely the bird will feed 8 of you, you could make some chicken goujons for the children.

For 8 (unless all 4 children are toddlers) I'd suggest getting a 2nd chicken- but at 15 euros, maybe not 😵.
Could you buy some chicken legs to cook for the kids, and bulk it up a bit?

Dessert is another good idea. If you aren't confident with making a crumble or pie, can you easily buy them frozen there? Oven bake and serve with custard and/or ice cream.

A photo of your cooked meal is mandatory now OP 😋

I’m afraid that size chicken wouldn’t feed 4 in my house. Have you any sausages you could add to the meal? I’d def to Yorkshire puddings as well.

To make gravy skim off the fat, add a table spoon of flour to the juices, add a crumbled chicken stock cube to the flour, stir it into the juices then add water or stock, stirring all the time until flour and stock cube is mixed in.
Or cheat and buy ready made gravy in a carton if you can get it.

Sorry for the late reply. The meal was a big success! Thanks so much for all the tips.

That looks fab OP! I was a bit taken aback at hoot opening post but you've done a great job!

Thanks for the update OP. I agree, it looks fab and delicious!!! Well done. 😋