Best Entertaining Recipes

To help you survive the festive season, we asked our staff to share their ‘go-to’ recipes that they use when entertaining and this is what we got, lamb shoulder, crispy potatoes, sticky roasted root vegetables, baked cheesecake and rum balls.

Hopefully one of these recipes can help save the day at your next social gathering, whether you are hosting or taking it elsewhere!

Ultimate Roast Lamb

1.6 – 2.2kg lamb shoulder, bone-in

2 cups water

1 brown onion (unpeeled), cut into 6 wedges

Marinade

2 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Jus, for serving

1 tsp cornflour

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 230°C (210°C fan).

Mix the Marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Rub all over the lamb surface, getting it right into all the cracks and crevices. Marinate for 2 hours on the counter in a roasting pan, or up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Prepare roasting pan by scattering onion wedges in the base of the roasting pan. Place lamb shoulder on top and pour water into pan.

Roast uncovered for 45 minutes.

Turn oven down to 100°C. Cover lamb with baking paper, then a double layer of foil and seal very tightly to avoid water evaporation. Roast for 12 hours – overnight is a good idea.

Test side of lamb with two forks. The meat should be fall-apart tender. If not, cover and return to oven.

There will be a lot of liquid pooled under the lamb in the roasting pan. Remove lamb to a large dish. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. It will stay warm for 2 to 3 hours. Strain all the liquid in the roasting pan into a saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer rapidly on medium-high until it reduces to 1 cup. Mix cornflour with water. Pour into jus in a thin stream while stirring continuously. Continue to cook for a minute or two over medium heat, stirring every now and then, until it thickens to a syrup consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve Slow Roasted Lamb with Jus. Use tongs for tearing meat off – no knife for carving needed!

The best crispy roast potatoes

Salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 kg russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters, sixths, or eighths, depending on size

5 tbsp / 75 ml extra-virgin olive oil, duck fat, goose fat, or beef fat

Small handful picked fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper

Small handful fresh parsley leaves, minced

Adjust oven rack to centre position and preheat oven to 230°C or 200°C fan forced. Heat 2L of water in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add 2 tablespoons salt, baking soda, and potatoes and stir. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until a knife meets little resistance when inserted into a potato chunk, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, duck fat, or beef fat with rosemary, garlic, and a few grinds of black pepper in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring and shaking pan constantly, until garlic just begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Immediately strain oil through a fine-mesh strainer set in a large bowl. Set garlic/rosemary mixture aside and reserve separately.

When potatoes are cooked, drain carefully and let them rest in the pot for about 30 seconds to allow excess moisture to evaporate. Transfer to bowl with infused oil, season to taste with a little more salt and pepper, and toss to coat, shaking bowl roughly, until a thick layer of mashed potato–like paste has built up on the potato chunks.

Place potatoes to a large rimmed baking tray, spreading them out evenly and put into the oven and roast, for 20 minutes. Using a thin, flexible metal spatula to release any stuck potatoes, shake pan and turn potatoes. Continue roasting until potatoes are deep brown and crisp all over, turning and shaking them a few times during cooking, 30 to 40 minutes longer.

Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add garlic/rosemary mixture and minced parsley. Toss to coat and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Sticky roasted root vegetables

500g parsnips, quartered lengthways

500g baby carrots, scrubbed and halved

2 tbsp olive oil

Knob of butter

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

A few fresh thyme sprigs

Salet and pepper

Preheat oven to 200C and put a large roasting tray in the oven to heat up.

Toss the vegetables in the oil and add some salt and pepper for seasoning. Carefully add the vegetables to the roasting tray and roast for 25 minutes

Stir in the butter, honey, mustard and thyme and roast for a further 20 minutes until sticky and golden. Then serve.

For more variety, you can add beetroot, sweet potato and other root vegetables of choice.

New York cheesecake

For the crust

85g butter plus extra for tin

140g digestive biscuits made into fine crumbs (add 2 extra biscuits if you like a thicker base)

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

For the cheesecake filling

900g Philadelphia cream cheese

250g golden caster sugar

3 tbsp plain flour

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tsp)

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

3 large eggs plus 1 yolk

300ml sour cream

For the soured cream topping

150ml sour cream

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

Raspberries or other fruit for topping.

Soured cream topping is optional, this can be skipped and just topped with fresh berries.

Position an oven shelf in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 180C.

Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin by putting a square piece of parchment paper or foil on top of the tin base and then clipping the side on so the paper or foil is trapped and any excess sticks out of the bottom.

For the crust, melt butter in a medium pan. Stir in digestive biscuit crumbs and 1 tbsp golden caster sugar so the mixture is evenly moistened.

Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while preparing the filling.

For the filling, increase the oven temperature to fan 200C. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.

With the mixer on low, gradually add golden caster sugar, then plain flour and a pinch of salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle twice.

Swap the paddle attachment for the whisk. Continue by adding vanilla extract, lemon zest and p lemon juice. Whisk in 3 large eggs and 1 yolk, one at a time, scraping the bowl and whisk at least twice.

Continue on low speed and add 200ml of the sour cream, – reserve the rest. Whisk to blend, but don’t over-beat. The batter should be smooth, light and somewhat airy.

Brush the sides of the springform tin with melted butter and line with baking paper. Pour in the filling – if there are any lumps, sink them using a knife – the top should be as smooth as possible. Bake for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 100C and bake for 45 minutes more. If you gently shake the tin, the filling should have a slight wobble.

Turn off the oven and open the oven door for a cheesecake that’s creamy in the centre, or leave it closed if you prefer a drier texture. Let cool in the oven for 2 hours. The cheesecake may get a slight crack on top as it cools.

Combine the reserved sour cream with extra sour cream, 1 tbsp golden caster sugar and 2 tsp lemon juice for the topping. Spread over the cheesecake right to the edges. Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Run a round-bladed knife around the sides of the tin to loosen any stuck edges. Unlock the side, slide the cheesecake off the bottom of the tin onto a plate, then slide the parchment paper out from underneath.

Top with raspberries or other fresh fruit.

Staff tip – I do always reduce the sugar in the filling to 150g and increase the lemon (as I love citrus), and skip the “soured cream” topping,