Christmas Dinner for 2
With the uncertainty that surrounds this time of year in recent years, I thought it would be nice to make an alternative Christmas roast dinner designed for two. No faff, no pans and very little washing up (just two roasting trays for the whole meal). No need to prep anything ahead of time, just straight forward roasting using some clever timings, steam and of course, the delicious produce we can grow in our gardens.
It can be difficult to muster the willpower to tackle a roast dinner when there are empty chairs around the table. So this super stripped back, intensely tasty version is designed as a backup plan (but also doubles up as a great introduction to roasting for those who might be a little rusty and aren’t ready to feed a full house yet).
Stuff the bird.
At a glance, you may notice something missing from the plate above. In its place you may have spotted a couple of sneaky mushrooms nestled amongst the walnuts and squash. There isn’t even a nutloaf?! Seitan? Or some other form of protein block? No. I’ve decided to do away with the traditional, usually dry, lump of protein in favour of mushrooms and walnuts. This way there’s even less prep to be done, reducing our time in the kitchen from hours to minutes. Of course, if you wish to add your lump of choice then be my guest, but this meal certainly doesn’t feel like something is missing once you tuck into it.
Before we jump into the recipe itself, I wanted to wish you all a merry pandemic. I hope you stay safe and have the opportunity to spend time with your loved ones. This year has been an amazing one for us at Farmer and Chef and I couldn’t thank you enough for coming on this journey with us. May the new year bring lots of exciting flavours and tasty experiences. Much love, Sam and Huw.
Christmas Dinner for 2 Recipe
3 Large potatoes
1 Carrot
1 Parsnip
1/3 of a pumpkin or squash
1 Red onion
2 1cm thick slices of red cabbage
4 Portobello mushrooms
A handful of sprouts, halved
A handful of whole walnuts
A sprig of rosemary
150ml Red wine
1tbsp Soy sauce OR 1 tsp yeast extract
Orange zest
2tbsp Crème Fraiche (dairy or oat)
1tsp Wholegrain mustard
A drizzle of cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F. Cut your potatoes in half, then cut each half into four pieces. Don’t bother peeling them. Pop them in a large, shallow sided, roasting tray with a drizzle of cooking oil and a pinch of salt. Place the mushrooms cap side down at the other end of the tray and cover the whole thing with foil (shiny side down). Cook it on the top shelf for 40 minutes.
Step 2.
Half your carrot and parsnip lengthways, then cut each in half again across the middle. Taking the thick end, half this lengthways once more. Prepare your pumpkin and remove the seeds, then cut it into 2cm thick wedges (from top to bottom). When 40 minutes are up, remove the foil from the large roasting tray and flip all the potatoes and mushrooms over. Place the carrot, parsnip and pumpkin on the tray, making sure they each have half a cm space between them. Season and return it to the top shelf of the oven but reduce the temperature to 180C / 350F. Continue to roast for 15 minutes.
Step 3.
In your second tray, lay the sliced onion and cabbage. These are nicest quite rustic and chunky. Pour in the wine, soy sauce and rosemary. Season liberally and make sure to add lots of black pepper. When 15 minutes have passed, slide this tray onto the middle shelf in the oven and turn everything over in the top tray. Put both trays back in the oven and time for another 15 minutes.
Step 4.
Halve your sprouts down the middle and throw them into the large roasting tray with a handful of walnuts when the 15 minutes are up. Set the timer for another 10 minutes and mix the crème fraiche with the mustard.
Plate up all the veg and lightly zest an orange into the red wine reduction. Pour it over the top as your gravy (making sure to fill your mushrooms with it) then put a dollop of crème fraiche on the side as something to dip your carrots and parsnips in. Enjoy.