Proper roast Sunday dinner

Sometimes you feel like a proper roast Sunday dinner.  This was one of those days.  Around the table we had nearly every possible dietary requirement … vegetarian, veg dodger, gluten free, lactose intolerant … but we all had a damn good dinner.  Obviously the vegetarian didn't have the chicken, but we managed to get 3 of his 5 a day into the veg dodger via the root vegetable mash (don't let on!) … and then another couple in pudding Rhubarb, apple and pear nutty crumble.

As this was a proper Sunday dinner we had (unusually) a proper pudding too.  The recipe is listed separately here but I have suggested where the prep might happen in this recipe, so the dinner is all ready at about the right time.  (Thank me later)

Chicken
Olive oil
Lemon
Garlic
Baby potatoes
Carrots
Swede
Parsnips
Green beans
Leek
Courgette
Sundried tomatoes
Vegetable stock
Butter beans
Cornflour
Chicken stock
Green beans
Butter

1.  Stuff a halved lemon and a few garlic cloves into the chicken.  Rub olive oil, salt and pepper over all of the skin.  Roast (breast side down fist) at 180 for as long as it takes (1 hour for a very small chicken - 2 hours for a large one).   Remove from the oven to rest for about 15 minutes when done.
2.  Toss baby potatoes in olive oil and roast for about an hour.
*** start pudding - stage 1
3.  Peel and chop root vegetables (in this case carrots, parsnips and swede - but could also use celeriac, turnips, sweet potato or even butternut squash).  Boil until mashable - about 12-15 minutes depending on size of pieces.  Mash with lots of butter and black pepper, bake in the oven to get a crispy top.
*** pudding - stage 2
4.  Sweat down chopped leeks with some crushed garlic, add chopped courgette (and any other veg you fancy) and a mugful of vegetable stock, simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add sundried tomatoes, simmer again.  Add a tin of drained, rinsed butter beans and heat through.  Keep warm in the oven.  Chop green beans and boil water ready for stage 8.
5.  (about 30 minutes after the chicken has gone into the oven) Carefully drain the fat from the chicken pan.  Turn the chicken over onto its bottom, continue roasting.
*** pudding - stage 3
6.  Spoon off the top layer of fat from the chicken juices.  Pour the rest into a saucepan and heat through.  Slake a spoonful of cornflour in cold water.  (Slake just means mix to a paste)  Add this to the chicken juices and bring to a boil - stirring continuously.  Add about half a pint of chicken stock (from a cube is fine).  Simmer as it thickens.
7.  Take chicken out of the oven - put pudding in to bake.
8.  Steam  chopped green beans.  Carve chicken.
9.  Serve, scoff …. every gathered person picking to their tastes/requirements.
9.  Have seconds ...