Long gone are the days when side dishes were a mere afterthought. They are now one of the strongest aspects of any meal, offering additional flavours and textures to spice up any mid-week dish. Whether you’re making a traditional Sunday roast or serving up a classic chicken stir-fry, the right accompaniment has the power to transform a simple plate into a restaurant-quality experience.
From tips and tricks to achieve the crispiest roast potatoes known to man to mastering smoky and authentic greens, we share some manageable and expert techniques for you to try at home. Here are just a select few of our tried-and-tested favourites suitable for all skill levels.
The Crispiest Roast Potatoes Recipe
As northerners, we’ve perfected our recipe for roast potatoes. Whether you’re making a traditional Sunday Roast or want something substantial to go along with harissa chicken or medium-rare steak, these are the perfect crispy companions.
Prepare yourself, as there are a few steps involved in order to get things right. Start by peeling your potatoes (Maris Piper or Russet are best) from top to bottom, removing any brown bits. For large and medium-sized potatoes, cut them in half; for smaller potatoes that you think could be a ‘roastie’ in their own right, leave them as is.
Fill a heavy-duty steel pan with cold water and add around a teaspoon of baking soda. This is the key ingredient and is non-negotiable. Behind the scenes, this breaks down the exterior of the potato to create a starchy paste that eventually creates those crispy edges we know and love.
Turn the heat up to high and leave the pan alone until you start to see the water begin to bubble. At this point, it’s time to take the pan off the heat and drain your potatoes in a colander, giving them a good shake to fluff them up.
This is where most people go wrong, as they immediately add the potatoes to the oven; however, not letting them properly dry can cause the water to repel the oil. Instead, let them sit in the colander for a good 20 minutes to steam dry. Better still, keep them in the fridge for a few hours or so.
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (an air fryer just won’t do the trick in our opinion), and place in your deep-dish baking tray, which should contain around 0.5-1 cm of duck/goose fat or a neutral oil, such as vegetable oil or avocado oil. It’s only when the oil is boiling hot that you should add your potatoes – you can test this by dipping a wooden spoon into the oil to see if it bubbles.
The potatoes can then be left in the oven, only being turned over every 20 minutes or so. It’s hard to give an exact cooking time as it always seems to differ, but you’ll know when they’re ready when they develop a nice caramel colour and are hard when tapped. If they require to be cooked longer, it’s better to turn the heat down slightly so they don’t burn – as a rule of thumb, they can take from 40-60 minutes.
What Can I Season my Roast Potatoes With?
While you can eat roast potatoes without any seasoning, it’s quite common for those in the north to sprinkle over some salt flakes and cracked black pepper or diced rosemary before serving.
If you want to take your roast potatoes to another level, we recommend using our homemade rosemary and lemon salt seasoning. Simply chop up some fresh rosemary and half the zest of a lemon, adding to a flat baking tray and placing in the oven once your potatoes have finished cooking.
After it has dried out, place it into a mortar along with a generous amount of salt and grind it finely with a pestle. Then all you need to do is sprinkle on top of your potatoes – it’s a real game-changer.
Can I Freeze Roast Potatoes?
Yes, but do this only after you’ve parboiled your potatoes and before they’ve been cooked in the oven; otherwise, they won’t achieve that signature crisp. If anything, freezing them draws out the moisture more, meaning the oil can work its magic much better.
The Easiest Egg-Fried Rice Recipe
It can be tempting to grab a bag of rice from the supermarket out of ease or leave it to the professionals at the local takeaway, but egg-fried rice is one of the tastiest yet easiest side dishes you can make. It’s the perfect side dish to go with some sticky chicken, Mongolian beef, or stir-fried tofu or vegetables.
If you have the time, prepare your rice a day in advance. Leftover rice stored safely in the fridge is the secret to perfect fried rice since it sears in the oil as opposed to steaming. The starches also undergo a scientific process that ensures the grains don’t clump and get coated in the sauce more efficiently. We understand this isn’t always possible, though, so leave it to cool for at least 30 minutes and separate the grains with your hands before frying.
Regardless of how you cook your rice, the first essential step is to rinse it thoroughly. This means filling a bowl with water and sifting through the rice, pouring away the cloudy excess starch and repeating until the water turns clear (this usually takes 3-4 tries).
To cook rice on a stovetop, aim for a 1:1.5 ratio of rice to water to keep it al dente. You can weigh or measure these properly, but the easiest way is to find a small can-sized cup and do it that way. Add everything to a pan and heat on high, bringing things to a boil, where you should then reduce to the lowest setting. Once you’ve done this, place the lid on top and leave to simmer for around 13 minutes. Finally, turn off the heat and keep the lid on top, allowing the steam to finish the cooking process. You should then be able to break up the grain gently with a fork.
Rice cookers are much simpler and effective, but not everyone has access to niche kitchen equipment. If you’re looking to start introducing more rice dishes into your lifestyle, though, it’s a no-brainer. Follow the cooking instructions in your instruction manual (usually it’ll say to use a cup of water per cup of rice, but it can differ).
Adding a small amount of neutral oil can prevent sticking, and make sure to select the ‘White Rice’ setting. When it finally notifies you that the process has finished, leave for 10 minutes before separating the grains.
In a wok or saucepan, heat a tablespoon of sesame oil (add in your garlic now if using fresh). While this gets hot enough, whisk your eggs in a separate bowl (we advise two eggs per one cup of rice). Add your cool rice to the pan and stir until everything is coated in the oil. Season to your taste with garlic powder (if not already added), dark soy sauce for colour, and light soy sauce for flavour. You can add some more sesame oil, too, if you wish.
Next, push your rice so that it takes up half the pan and pour your eggs into the space. As the eggs start to solidify, stir them gently to break them into nice chunks and incorporate them into the rice before they cook fully. Give everything another good stir so that it’s nicely combined, and you’re done.
What Can I Garnish Egg-Fried Rice With?
There’s no need to go overboard, since the dish is already full of flavour and isn’t meant to detract too much from your main meal. However, you can’t go wrong with some thinly sliced spring onions (both whites and greens). Other suitable additions include a sprinkle of toasted black and white sesame seeds or some fried garlic.
Can I Reheat Egg-Fried Rice?
This depends on whether you used day-old rice or made the fried rice the same day. You should never reheat rice more than once due to the potential of dangerous bacteria and toxins, especially if left to cool slowly or left at room temperature for more than an hour.
Ideally, you should only cook enough rice to eat for that meal. You can always freeze the rice you’ve cooked before frying and defrost it thoroughly, and then use it to make fried rice in the future. If there is any uncertainty as to how long rice has been stored in the fridge or freezer, the safest option is to make a new portion from scratch.
The Most Authentic Homemade Salt and Pepper Chips Recipe
Avoid buying unhealthy frozen fries and instead opt for our homemade oven chips recipe that ensures they are fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside every time. You can then zhuzh them up with the classic British-Chinese salt and pepper seasoning to impress any guest.
The type of potato matters when it comes to making chips. The floury potato variety is key here to ensure a crispy exterior, with King Edward or Maris Piper being the best. We advise keeping the skin on the potatoes, so just make sure to wash them thoroughly and scrub the outside to remove dirt and debris.
Slice the potatoes into thick batons, which you can easily do by cutting each potato vertically into slices, then thinly slicing each of these to produce that typical chip-like shape. After filling a bowl with cold water, submerge the chips for around half an hour to remove the excess starch to prevent them from becoming soggy later.
Fill a large pan with salted cold water, drain your chips, and add them to the pan, bringing to a boil. Once the water starts to boil (usually after 5-8 minutes), remove the pan from the heat and drain. They should be slightly soft around the edges. Give the colander a slight shake to create a fluff-like texture and leave to fully cool.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C and pour a generous glug of vegetable oil onto a thick baking tray. Most go wrong here and use olive oil, but this has a relatively low smoke point (so it doesn’t get hot enough) and can lead to a bitter taste. Leave the tray in the oven to get really hot before spreading the dry chips onto it, ensuring each is coated in the oil.
While times can vary, usually it will take around 25-40 minutes for the chips to cook properly – they should only be turned over around 15 minutes into the cooking process. If they need a little longer, reduce the heat by 20°C.
Now that the chips are starting to crisp, you need to make your seasoning. There are store-bought alternatives out there, but it’s so easy to make your own salt and pepper seasoning at home. Mix together the following:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon white caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Chinese Five-Spice powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
You’ll also need to slice one green chilli into thin circles, a red and green pepper into thumb-sized pieces, and an onion into strips. Then, simply saute the chilli, onion, and pepper in a pan with a small amount of vegetable oil for a minute or so (you want them to still have some crunch). Once the chips are done, dry them on some kitchen paper, and toss them in the pan along with the aromatics. Sprinkle over your seasoning and mix until everything is coated, and then serve along with some green onions.
Can I Make the Chips Without Salt?
Absolutely, rather than coating in the salt and pepper seasoning, you could instead opt for a black pepper and lemon fusion that is just as tasty. All you need to do is crush up some whole black pepper corns in a pestle and mortar and combine with fresh lemon zest. Alternatively, Grape Tree does a great Black Pepper and Lemon seasoning that we stand by.
Can I Cook the Chips in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can easily cook your chips in an air fryer, and it can be tempting to do so, especially if you’ve invested in a fancy new model or prefer ease when it comes to these sorts of things. However, you may find your chips are darker on the outside and cook too quickly or become soggy due to overcrowding in the trays.
If you prefer to use an air fryer, coat your potatoes in a thin layer of oil and set your machine to 180°C for 18-20 minutes. For added crunch, sprinkle over a little cornflour before you add your oil.
The Smokiest Stir-Fried Greens Recipe
Elevate your dishes with flavourful veg by following your guide to making smoky stir-fried greens. With only a handful of ingredients, cupboard staples, and a few minutes of your time, it’s one of the easiest side dishes to make after a busy day.
Start by preparing your vegetables – we suggest keeping it simple with green beans, bok choy, and spring onions. Wash and dry everything thoroughly, then break your bok choy apart into segments. With the beans, chop off the ends and cut them in half. For the spring onions, cut into 4-5 cm chunks and then thinly slice lengthways.
To achieve that smoky taste and perfect cooking temperature, a carbon steel wok or cast-iron skillet is best, but a saucepan can still work just as well. Heat a small amount of high-smoke-point oil (such as vegetable, grapeseed, or avocado oil) in your pan until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates instantly. Then add in your greens.
There’s no need to stir just yet, as you want the edges to blister a little. After about 40 seconds, push them to the side and add in some minced garlic and sliced red chillies, letting them toast for a few seconds before combining everything.
You don’t want too much liquid in the pan; otherwise, the greens will boil. Drizzle over a little sesame oil for that nutty taste, along with some light soy sauce and a splash of Shaoxing wine around the edges. A few drops of liquid smoke can add an extra smoky depth to the dish, but it isn’t a necessity.
Once the greens have turned a nice bright green and wilted slightly (but still solid enough to snap), you can remove them from the heat and serve instantly.
Can I Substitute the Soy Sauce for Something Else?
Yes, if you want to steer away from soy sauce in your dish, you can instead sauté with lots of garlic and some lemon zest. Or consider mixing in a teaspoon of white miso paste with a little water at the end of the cooking process for an umami kick.
What Other Greens Can I Use?
This is a highly flexible recipe in which you can substitute any of your favourite vegetables for the ones in our recipe. Great alternatives include tenderstem broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and mangetout. All of these can be found in most major UK supermarkets, too.
The Most Comforting Greek Butter Beans Recipe
Also called Gigantes Plaki, this Greek dish is both filling and fragrant. While they are traditionally baked in an oven, our recipe focuses on cooking using a stovetop only for ease. It’s the ideal side dish to have along with lamb chops and pork steaks – or, you can have it on its own along with some crusty bread.
Finely dice half a large onion and mince one clove of garlic, and add to a saucepan or skillet with high-quality olive oil over a medium heat. Cook for around five minutes until they become fragrant before stirring in a teaspoon of tomato puree and cooking for another two minutes to remove the acidic flavour.
Drain your can of butter beans before adding them to the pan along with around 125 ml of vegetable stock. While you can add in additional salt here, it’s worth noting the stock and feta already enhance the saltiness of the dish – some black pepper is enough.
Simmer for around 15 minutes until you find the stock has reduced into a thick sauce, and remove from the heat. Stir in a tablespoon of lemon juice and the zest of a quarter-lemon, and then top with crumbled feta and dill.
How Do I Make the Sauce Thicker?
If you find that the sauce isn’t reducing enough, avoid cooking for longer so the beans don’t become mushy. Instead, crush up a few of the beans on the side of the pan and stir them back in, and watch as the starch instantly thickens the sauce.
Can I Add Any Greens to the Dish?
Of course, you could add a handful of fresh baby spinach or some kale a few minutes before removing from the heat. This will allow them to wilt just enough in time for serving.
Can I Use a Different Variety of Beans?
While butter beans are the most authentic and recommended for the recipe, if you can’t find any in your local supermarket or kitchen cupboards, cannellini beans, haricot beans, and borlotti beans will also work well. For smaller beans, reduce your cooking time by five or more minutes to prevent them from overcooking. If you are using dried beans, they must be soaked for 8-12 hours first and parboiled before adding them to the sauce.
Can I Make the Dish Vegan-Friendly?
Yes, you can swap out the feta for some vegan alternatives. The best option and most widely available one in UK supermarkets is Violife Greek White, which is similar in texture and has a salty tang. There’s also I AM NUT OK “Fetamorphosis”, which is made from almonds and fermented, giving it a more authentic flavour than cheeses made from coconut oil (but please avoid if you have a nut allergy).