Who knew adding grapes to roasted root vegetables could be such a winning combination? We strongly encourage you to try this out for yourself- it is so much more interesting than just plain roasted potatoes!

 

 

 

 Again, this a traditional Christmas side dish that can feel boring and predictable so this year we are all about encouraging you to experiment with new ideas for your festive feasting. So for anyone out there with a more adventurous palette and anyone keen to avoid a load of fatty deep fried potatoes we encourage you to experiment with grapes. We haven't yet tried Ottolenghi's sprouts with grapes and chestnuts but that's another GREAT looking alternative Christmas side for anyone looking to jazz up their Christmas dinner table.

 

Ingredients:

1kg potatoes of your choice
4 banana shallots
2 tbsp olive oil
300g purple grapes
75ml red wine
4 bay leaves, torn into small pieces
2 star anise
3 cloves, gently crushed with a pestle and mortar
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

 

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 170C (fan)

 

Scrub the potatoes but leave the skins on. Cut into bite size chunks and place them in a large baking tray along with the shallots. Pour the oil onto them and season well. Roast for 30 minutes.

 

Take the tray out and add the grapes, red wine, torn bay leaves, star anise, cloves and cumin. Stir everything well so it's all nicely mixed and coated then roast for another 30 minutes until the potatoes are nice and crispy, the shallots are well caramelised and the grape juice is nice and jammy. Serve warm.