There's something comforting about the smell of a roast wafting through the house on a chilly day.
It's an investment of time and ingredients, which can make it daunting.
Chefs and cooks share their tips and tricks to nail the perfect winter roast at home, from meats to vegetarian options.
Simple and delicious roast lamb
If you ask chef Matt Golinski, based on the Sunshine Coast/Kabi Kabi lands, there is nothing easier (or tastier) during winter than a .
"Really, all you're doing is just throwing it into a tray," he says.
"It's probably simplest bit of cooking you'll ever do."
He recommends:
- Buying a lamb shoulder on the bone (you may need to source one from a butcher rather than supermarket) as this will be better value and you will generally have leftovers, depending on how many people you're feeding.
- Cook it in a casserole dish with a lid or covered with foil to stop the meat from drying out.
- The cook time is long, so plan ahead and have it ready to go into the oven as early as possible.
- If you're worried about knowing when the meat is cooked through, use a meat thermometer. You can check the internal temperature against this food safety guide.
- Once cooked, drain the pan juices off and refrigerate them for a little while so the fat sets on top. You can scrape that off, and then you've got a pure lamb essence for a gravy.
Roast pork with perfect crackling
If you love a good pork crackling and are a beginner, try chef and cookbook author Hayden Quinn's .
He recommends:
- Ask your butcher to remove the bone from the pork shoulder. When it comes to scoring the pork skin, his go-to tool is the humble Stanley knife.
- After scoring and adding spices to the pork, you should leave it in the fridge for six hours or, time permitting, overnight. This helps dry out the skin.
- Pork also loves sweetness, so it makes sense to pair it with the green apple slaw, which is quite tart and cuts through the fat.
A twist on the classic roast beef
Nipun Liyanapathirana creates cooking videos for social media and adds a tasty twist to a traditional beef roast.
While you're not cooking a whole chunk of meat, his Sri Lankan spiced beef roast (similar to the popular Kerala beef fry) is "hearty, comforting, and full of depth and flavour".
"It gives you the same exact finish as a typical roast, but the preparation and techniques used is completely different," he says.
His technique means the meat is unlikely to be overcooked.
He recommends:
- Using diced chuck steak about 2.5-5 centimetres thick. It can be an expensive cut, but most butchers and supermarkets sell pre-diced beef, which can be more economical.
- Marinate the meat for at least 1-4 hours before cooking. Adding some tamarind paste will ensure it's nice and juicy. If you have time, marinating overnight is best to get really intense flavour.
- Using whole spices such as cardamom and cloves, they are great winter spices to really warm you up.
- Using a cast iron or heavy-bottomed pan or wok to "roast" the beef. The heat helps the spices coat the beef chunks.
- Serve with mashed potatoes. It also works with rice, roti or sourdough bread.
Easy roast chicken with crispy skin
Alice Zaslavsky, a cookbook author and host of A Bite To Eat with Alice, has previously shared her favourite tips for the with ABC Lifestyle. Her favourite method is "the dry-and-hot" (dry brine and hot oven).
She recommends:
- Leaving the chicken uncovered to dry out on the lowest shelf of the fridge for a couple of days — or at least overnight It takes a bit more planning, but the resulting shards of golden chicken skin are well worth the delayed gratification. Take it out well before you're going to roast and leave loosely covered so that it's not fridge cold. Here's how to keep it food safe.
- Placing your bird breast-side down for the drying step above and for roasting. This protects the delicate breast meat from overcooking before the legs do and exposes the parson's nose (the fatty tail of the bird) for maximum crunch factor.
- Trying to find a larger bird if you can. You'll get more bang for your buck, and more meals out of the one cooked chook.
- If cooking a smaller chicken, you can fake more pan juice action by drizzling a few extra glugs of olive oil into the bottom of the roasting tray.
Whole roasted cauliflower as a vegetarian option
Vegetarians and vegans fear not, Hetty Lui McKinnon has many recipes for veggie-forward winter roasts that she has shared with us previously.
"I remember a time when the non-meat option on a feasting table was lentil loaf," the food writer and cookbook author says.
"Luckily, food has evolved, and a show-stopping vegetarian main can now be as exciting as anything else on the table."
is her celebration go-to.
She recommends:
- Roasting your whole cauliflower on high heat — this ensures that the flesh inside is creamy and lusciously tender, while the outside has a beautiful golden hue.
- Rubbing the cauliflower with an enthusiastic amount of olive oil, and using a meaningful dose of sea salt and black pepper.
- Showering the cauliflower with spices for extra flavour before baking.
She has recipes for a and a , which can become the star of your next meat-free celebration table.
