General Tips

Use a Meat Thermometer

Take the guess work out of how long to cook your roast, particularly if you like your meat medium or medium rare, by using a meat thermometer. TIP: Most meat thermometers are designed to be pushed into the thickest part of the meat periodically during the cooking time to check the internal temperature. Do not leave your meat thermometer in your roast while cooking in the oven! Try the Cuisena Meat Thermometer, RRP $9.95.

Stuffing

For a traditional stuffing, use fresh breadcrumbs and your choice of seasoning – fresh herbs, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, even bacon, spinach, dried fruits, feta or nuts like pistachio or macadamia can be used. Let your imagination and food processor run wild!

If you like a moist stuffing, add a beaten egg and a small amount of milk to your mixture. Lightly fry onion, garlic and bacon with butter before adding to the stuffing for extra flavour. TIP: Process day old bread with the crusts removed to make your fresh breadcrumbs.

To keep your stuffing in your chicken, use a skewer or kitchen twine to close the cavity.

Roast Potatoes

Parboil your potatoes for apx 6 – 10 minutes, until the edges ‘fluff’ when roughed with a fork. Drain the potatoes and let them steam dry for a few minutes before shaking to fluff all the edges. Preheat a bit of oil in your roasting dish then add your fluffed potatoes, toss well and roast until golden and crispy. Seasoning with sea salt, cracked pepper and fresh herbs such as rosemary will make your potatoes even more memorable.

Roast Vegetables

Don’t stop at roasting potatoes– most root vegetables can be roasted. Try pumpkin, sweet potato, parsnip, carrot and even beetroot. Hard vegetables benefit from parboiling before roasting. Boil your beetroot separately though or you’ll colour the rest of your veggies!

For crispy vegetables, coat with oil and season with salt. Consider adding smashed garlic cloves (unpeeled so they don’t burn) and fresh ‘woody’ herbs such as rosemary, bay, sage or thyme. Wedges of onion and lemon can also add some lovely flavours. 

Most vegetables that can be chargrilled can also be roasted – eg. tomato, capsicum, eggplant and zucchini. These vegetables will not require as long to cook as root veggies and need a coating of oil to char the surface. TIP: Keep an eye on these veggies and toss them often so they don’t burn at the top.

Spread your veggies out so they single layered and all benefit from the dry heat of roasting. This ensures a crispy result.

For vegetables such as carrot, potato and even pumpkin, consider leaving the skin on. There are a lot of nutrients to be found in a vegetables skin and the result is a lovely rustic look and flavour.

Flavour Combinations

If you think about traditional flavour combinations, you can adapt nearly any theme to a roast. For example, create a Moroccan stuffing with cous cous, coriander, cumin, dried dates, pistachio nuts and cinnamon. Or make an Asian glaze with soy, honey, lime, chilli and garlic. If you want to try marinating your roast, consider a Mediterranean flavour using balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil and garlic. Use your imagination and other non-roast recipes for your inspiration.

Rest Your Meat!

Allow the roast meat to stand and rest after cooking. This will allow the juices (which have been driven to the centre of the meat by the cooking process) to redistribute and be reabsorbed. This means the meat will lose less juice when carved, resulting in a more tender and juicy roast. To rest your roast, remove it from the oven and cover loosely with foil for 10 – 20 minutes, depending on its size. Rest your roast chicken tail up so the juices run to the breast meat.

Carving Your Roast

Use a sharp carving knife to ensure minimal tearing of the meat fibres. A carving knife is best as the blade is thinner than a chefs knife, particularly at the spine, enabling more precise slices. Also use a meat fork for stability, ease and safety. Carve the roast across the grain (to help the juices remain in the roast), at a consistent angle for each slice.

TIP: Invest in a good quality carving set, it will make the job of carving easier and looks great if you want to carve at the table for presentation. When carving poultry, work with the natural joins of the bones and cartilage to keep sections in tact and avoid damaging your blade.

Then transfer your scrumptious carved roast to a warm serving platter and enjoy!

Put Your Feet Up

Skip the clean up with a quality non-stick roasting pan. Look for one with a rack so you can cook your veggies in the same pan and take advantage of the amazing flavours from the meat juices as they caramelise while roasting. TIP: If you’ve got a small oven consider the size and height you can comfortably fit in it when choosing a roasting pan. If you like to make traditional gravy from your roast juices, make sure your roasting pan is flameproof.