The full roast: golden chicken, crisp potatoes, honeyed carrots and proper gravy.
Serves4
Dishes4
Total time2 hr 2 min
Hands-on1 hr 23 min
DifficultyMedium
A proper Sunday roast is really four dishes pretending to be one, and the whole trick is getting them to the table hot at the same moment. The chicken anchors everything; its resting window is when the potatoes crisp, the carrots glaze and the gravy comes together.
To drink: A light Pinot Noir, or a buttery Chardonnay for white drinkers.
The 4 dishes below are timed to finish together. Import the meal and Fatto schedules every step backwards from your chosen serving time. here's how that works.
The meal, dish by dish
Roast chicken
1.5 kg whole chicken
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 lemon, halved
A few sprigs of thyme
Salt and black pepper
Pat the chicken dry, rub all over with softened butter, season well and tuck the lemon and thyme inside
Prep / hands8–10 minHands-onPrep ahead
Roast the chicken until golden and cooked through (74°C in the thigh)
Oven 200°C75–85 minUnattended
Rest the chicken loosely under foil so the juices settle
Prep / hands15–20 minUnattended
Carve the chicken onto a warm platter
Prep / hands5–7 minHands-on
Roast potatoes
1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tbsp goose fat or oil
Salt
Peel and quarter the potatoes
Prep / hands8–10 minHands-onPrep ahead
Parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes, then drain and rough up the edges in the colander
Stovetop14–16 minHands-on
Roast the potatoes in hot fat, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp
Oven 200°C45–55 minUnattended
Honey-glazed carrots
500 g carrots, cut into batons
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
Salt
Peel the carrots and cut into batons
Prep / hands5–7 minHands-onPrep ahead
Simmer the carrots in salted water until just tender
Stovetop12–15 minHands-on
Drain, then toss with butter and honey over the heat to glaze
Stovetop4–6 minHands-on
Pan gravy
Chicken pan juices
1 tbsp flour
400 ml chicken stock
Splash of white wine
Make a roux with the pan juices and flour, then whisk in the wine and stock and simmer to a glossy gravy