This is a fantastic dish, as everything gets cooked together, although I do like to serve it with a crisp green vegetable such as sprouting broccoli. The aroma that fills the kitchen is unreal and your guests will be salivating from the minute they enter the house!
SERVES 4–6
- 1 garlic bulb
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1.75kg (4lb) whole chicken
- (preferably free-range)
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 675g (1½lb) waxy potatoes, scrubbed
- and cut into wedges
- 1 x 440ml can of Guinness or stout
- about 25g (1oz) butter, softened
- sea salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
- steamed sprouting broccoli, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).
2 Break the garlic bulb up into cloves and peel off the skin, then finely chop two of them. Put them into a small bowl with the olive oil, thyme and both paprikas. Season with salt and pepper
and mix until well combined to a thickish paste, adding a squeeze of lemon to loosen it a bit. Rub half of the paste all over the chicken, inside and out, then cut the lemon into pieces and put into the cavity of the chicken with the rosemary and a few of the garlic cloves.
3 Put the potato wedges into a large roasting tin with the rest of the garlic cloves and drizzle over the rest of the paprika mixture, rubbing the wedges with your hands until they are evenly coated. Arrange in a single layer and sit the prepared chicken in the middle. Pour around the Guinness or stout and smear the chicken with the butter. Cook in the oven for 1½ hours, until the chicken is cooked through and the potato wedges are completely tender.
4 Leave the chicken to rest for 20 minutes, then chop into portions and arrange on warmed plates with some of the potato wedges, spooning over the juices from the roasting tin instead of gravy. Add some sprouting broccoli and serve at once.
Baked raspberry swirl cheesecake slices
The creamy, sweet texture of this baked vanilla cheesecake is complemented by the vibrant strawberry sauce. It's deceptively easy to make, yet looks really impressive. It’s my kind of dessert if I’m making something at home for the family. The bars will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days covered with cling film.
MAKES 12 SLICES
- 300g (11oz) digestive biscuits
- 150g (5oz) butter, melted and cooled
- 275g (10oz) caster sugar
- 175g (6oz) raspberries, plus extra to serve
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder
- 3 x 300g (11oz) packets of cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 x 200ml (7fl oz) carton of sour cream icing sugar, to dust
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Line a 20cm x 30cm (8in x 12in) rectangular tin with non-stick baking paper.
2 Put the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. Add the cooled melted butter and blitz again to combine. Tip into the tin and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to cover the base, then bake for 10 minutes to set. Leave to cool.
3 Meanwhile, tip 25g (1oz) of the sugar and the raspberries into a small pan. Mix the arrowroot powder with 1 tablespoon of cold water and add this to the pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bubble for 1–2 minutes, until the sauce has slightly reduced but the raspberries are still just holding their shape. Set aside to cool.
4 In a large bowl, whisk the cream cheese with an electric hand-held whisk until smooth. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again. Add the flour, vanilla, eggs and sour cream and whisk until smooth and well combined.
5 Pour half of the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base, then spoon half the raspberry sauce on top in small blobs. Cover with the remaining cheesecake mix and smooth the surface with a spatula. Drizzle the remaining raspberry sauce over the top, then use the end of the spoon to ripple it into the cheesecake. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 110°C (225°F/gas mark ¼) and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour, then leave for another hour with the door ajar. Finally, leave at room temperature until completely cool, then chill for at least 3 hours (or even better, overnight).
6 To serve, cut the cheesecake into 12 slices and arrange on plates with some fresh raspberries and a light dusting of icing sugar.