What's your best recipe for guests that you can just chuck in the oven early and leave till it's done?

[berri]

Cooking for a few friends tonight, one of whom doesn't like fish. I'd like to be able to do something I can just leave to cook as I'll have the afternoon free, but everything I can think of doesn't seem interesting enough (for want of a better phrase) for a little dinner party!

Any ideas? Going to shops later so ingredients not an issue.

casserole or I always for a curry. Cook it now and then leave it on the hob and heat it up at the time.

simple beef casserole with large chucks of carrots and port/redwine gravy cooked in the slow cooker, serve with steamed vegtables and new potato which have been sat in the electric steamer ready to turn on 40 minutes before the main course is required. Served after a cold starter and a hot pudding that can go in the oven when the guests arrive

How about Nigella's slow roasted chicken

Nigella's chicken from the Venetian ghetto is good - prep early, then it just takes a few minutes to put together.

Or Jamies slow cooked lamb

Lamb shanks.
Cook with diced carrots, onions and celery in stock and red wine. Throw in herbs and a couple of bayleaves. Takes about 3 hours. Delicious. Serve with baked potatoes or rice.

I'm sure there must be loads of recipes on the web for lamb shanks.

These ideas are all perfect, thanks everyone :)

Hungry for dinner already now!

mrspnut I think I'm going to go with your Nigella's slow roasted chicken - what do you normally serve with this?

And can you make gravy from the juices?

Jamie Oliver's 'Jool's Stew' is good.

From Mrspnut's link. It's a beef stew.

I wouldn't chuck any of my guests in the oven

You haven't met my guests :o

Gordon Ramsay's lasagne.

Can make in advance and then just chuck in oven for 40 mins while you have a few glasses of wine with your guests.

I cook some little new potatoes in the oven and maybe a salad as well.

The chicken dish, I usually just stick on the table and the wine does make it's own gravy type sauce.

greek lamb stew with olives and feta is delicious - I do it with couscous rather than vermicelli as suggested

sorry to butt in but I have similar problem with vegetarian guests. Last time did what was supposed to be posho pasta with artichokes, green beans, roasted toms, roasted asparagus, roasted peppers, roasted garlic etc but it was a bit underwhelming tbh. Any ideas?

Do they eat fish Lindsay? Jamie Oliver's fish pie is always a winner for me, works beautifully and you can make it earlier and leave it until you're ready to stick it in the oven.

My best veggie ones are:

chickpea and vege tagine with cous cous and salads and hoummus etc

or a big quiche with garlic and rosemary roasted new potatoes and salad or steamed vege

LindsayW I love Delias veggie moussaka it's another make ahead and stick in the oven and don't worry about it recipe
and delicious!

Oh blimey so sorry not to have come back - everything sounds loverly! They're coming this weekend - bring it on!

Lindsay, some sort of veggie pasta bake, I do one with lots of veg and docelatte cheese in, always goes done well and a bit posher than the pasta I would cook every day.

If you want a starter I made butternut squash tarts last week for a dinner party. Cut a sheet of puff pastry into 4, add slices of butternut squash, bake for 10 mins, add crumbled feta and bake for 15 mins longer, doddle to make and went down v well!

Delicious website is good for veg. dishes