Raise your game and rule the roast again

Ensure your day of rest is exactly that by keeping your roast simple, advises Angela Hartnett – and don’t prepare a lemon meringue pie at the same time...

Everyone loves a roast potato: the process of roasting gives any vegetable dish or meat a beautiful caramelisation and crispiness. Some argue that cooking sous-vide is better, but for me it cannot compare to ovenroast or pan-roasted in terms of flavour.

Done well, it results in wonderfully tenderised meat. An oven is all you need to serve up a feast – don’t let a lack of shelf space put you off: we don’t all have commercial or double ovens at our disposal, and unlike at the restaurants, I only have a single at home. Just keep it simple and give yourself time.

Winter lends itself to dishes you don’t have to rush, and if you’re doing a roast, just do a couple of side dishes.

Last weekend, after a long walk on Hampstead Heath with my husband, I got started on this roast duck, ready for guests to arrive at 4pm. Once we’d finished serving and the kitchen was cleared, we still had time to put our feet up. Normally, there’s carnage when we entertain, because we only start to think about prepping a couple of hours beforehand. In a restaurant I’d never do that, but at home I tend to think I’ve got loads of time, and then end up running around like mad.

That said, I was juggling the duck with roast potatoes, but I’d also decided to do a lemon meringue pie – in hindsight, I realised that was too much! I ended up taking the tart in and out, opening the oven to cool it down, and afterwards I asked myself why I hadn’t prepared it earlier, or not at all. If you’re serving a roast, I wouldn’t advise attempting a tart or pastry for dessert at the same time, because you just won’t have the space.

In restaurants I’d never prep in a rush, but at home I end up running around like mad