Simple sides to add to your recipe repertoire
I do love a one-pan meal.
Not a lot of fuss.
One pan, so hardly any dishes.
And usually left to bubble away or gently roast.
To make ‘food magic’ that you take credit for.
But having said that, I’ve also discovered it’s good to have a bit of a side dish repertoire up your sleeve.
That way, you can knock-out a simple main and dress it up with some knock-out side dishes.
I discovered some great fresh summer sides this year.
So, I thought it was time to start on some tasty winter sides.
1. JW’s crispy potatoes, pecorino & rosemary
OK, if you’ve been following me, you should know by now that I love everything Barbuto’s/Jonathon Waxman (JW) – see awesome JW chicken, here
And here are his potatoes that are epic (not healthy but hey)
- SERVES: 2 – 4
- PREP: 5 mins
- COOK: 10 – 20 mins
Ingredients
- 4 medium roasting potatoes
- 1 head garlic, split
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano
- sea salt
- approx 1/2 cup sunflower oil
Method
- Place potatoes, garlic, rosemary and salt in a pot and, starting with cold water, bring to a boil and cook.
- Remove potatoes and discard cooking liquid.
- When potatoes are cool, crush a little by hand and cook in a deep frying pan with approx half a cup of sunflower oil or in a deep fryer at 180 ºC /350ºF, until golden brown and crispy.
- Place on a paper towel then on a serving platter, season with salt and pepper and garnish with rosemary and Pecorino.
2. Roasted winter squash with cilantro chimichurri
- SERVES: 6 – 8
- PREP: 10 minutes
- COOK: 30 minutes
Ingredients
The squash
- 1 – 2 butternut squash or winter squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper
Making the coriander chimichurri
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp finely chopped oregano leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil or baking paper
- Prepare the squash: Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds etc and cut the squash into 1-inch slices Toss the squash with a 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1/4 tsp or so of salt, and ground black pepper and place on the baking sheet
- Roast the squash for 30 mins or until nice and tender
- While the squash is cooking prepare the chimichurri. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, coriander, parsley, oregano leaves, chilli flakes, garlic, red wine vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Serve: Transfer the roasted squash to a serving platter and top with loads of chimichurri
Credit: Simply Recipes
3. Crispy baked cauliflower ‘wings’
- SERVES: 3 – 4
- PREP: 10 mins
- COOK: 35 mins
Ingredients
- 1 medium-size cauliflower
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 3 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 C/400°F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-size florets
- In a bowl, whisk the flour with up to 1 cup water, ¼ cup at a time, into a batter as thick as cream and thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the garlic powder, paprika and cumin; season with salt and pepper
- Coat the florets in the batter and lay them on the prepared baking tray, leaving plenty of space between each floret
- Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 mins. Carefully remove the tray from the oven
- In a large bowl, mix the hot sauce and oil or butter. Add the baked florets and toss to coat
- Return the cauliflower to the baking sheet and put it back in the oven until the cauliflower is slightly charred, 10 to 14 mins
- Season with salt and pepper and serve
Credit: PureWow
Enjoy giving these a try and stay posted for more winter sides.
Do you have some winter sides you’d like to share? Leave a comment…
