Easter Dinner Menu

Easter is filled with tradition and the dinner table is no exception. Take a look at these great dishes to cook for your family this Easter.

Roast Lamb

Ingredients

• Lamb top round
• Salt and pepper
• 12 cloves garlic (4 cloves chopped)
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• Chopped parsley for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 180°C.
2. Season lamb with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and place in roasting pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine chopped garlic, rosemary, thyme, and 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Rub over lamb and roast for 10 minutes.
5. Toss tomatoes and garlic cloves with the remaining tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
6. Scatter tomatoes and garlic around lamb and roast until the internal temperature of lamb registers 125°F for medium-rare (15 to 20 minutes more).
7. Transfer lamb to cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
8. Serve with tomatoes and garlic and sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

No-Peel Braised Carrots

Ingredients

• 300ml vegetable stock
• 300g baby topped carrots
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

Directions

1. Heat the vegetable stock.
2. Then tip the carrots into a deep frying pan.
3. Add the butter, sugar, fennel seeds, and the hot stock. Season to taste.
4. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, or until the carrots are cooked through and the liquid is reduced and glossy.

Crispiest Ever Roast Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 kg potatoes, cut into quarters (peelings reserved)
• 50g butter
• Bunch of lemon thyme
• 6 garlic cloves, lightly bashed
• 1 tbsp sea salt

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 8).
2. Add the oil to a large flameproof baking tray and put it in the oven for the oil to heat up.
3. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
4. Tip in the potatoes and the peelings (to impart extra flavour) and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
5. Drain the potatoes and discard the peelings.
6. Leave to steam dry for 15 minutes, then return the potatoes to the pan.
7. Put the lid on and gently shake to lightly rough up the edges.
8. Remove the tray from the oven and put it directly on your hob over medium heat.
9. Add the butter to the hot oil and, using tongs, add the potatoes to the tray one by one, carefully turning them in the fat and leaving a little space between them.
10. Reduce the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6).
11. Nestle the lemon thyme in amongst the potatoes, along with the garlic.
12. Sprinkle over the sea salt and return to the oven to roast for 1 hour, turning every once in a while until golden and crisp.

Giant Butter Bean Stew

Ingredients

• 4 x 235g cans butter beans
• 100ml Greek extra virgin olive oil
• 3 small red onions, finely sliced
• 2 large carrots, finely sliced
• 3 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
• 4 sundried tomatoes, sliced
• 1kg ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp sugar
• Small pack flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Small pack dill, finely chopped
• 100g feta (optional), crumbled

Directions

1. Drain the canned beans, reserving 200ml of the liquid.
2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof lidded casserole dish and cook the onions, carrots, and celery until tender and the onions are soft and transparent but not coloured.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients, reserving half of the chopped herbs and feta (if using).
4. Heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4).
5. Cook over gentle heat for a further 5 minutes, then pour over the reserved liquid.
6. Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
7. Check occasionally that the beans are not drying out. Add a little more water if needed.
8. Remove the lid and bake for 10 minutes more.
9. Can be made 2 days ahead and reheated.
10. Stir through the reserved chopped herbs, season to taste, then crumble over the remaining feta just before serving.

Chocolate Fudge Easter Cakes

Ingredients

• 140g soft butter
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 100g self-raising flour
• 25g cocoa, sifted

For the frosting

• 85g milk chocolate, broken
• 85g soft butter
• 140g icing sugar, sifted
• 235g (1.5oz) packs white chocolate Maltesers
• Mini foil-wrapped chocolate eggs

Directions

1. Heat oven to 190°C (fan 170°C, gas 5) and put 16 gold cases into a fairy cake tin.
2. Tip all the ingredients for the cake into a mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
3. Divide between the cases so they are two-thirds filled, then bake for 12-15 minutes until risen.
4. Cool on a wire rack.
5. For the frosting, microwave the chocolate on high for 1 minute.
6. Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the melted chocolate.
7. Spread on the cakes and decorate with Maltesers and chocolate eggs.