Every weekend I like to cook a roast. It is my favourite meal after all. It’s a great opportunity to spend time as a family at the dinner table. As lockdown has eased in Wales, we’ve been lucky to have a close friend to join us the last few weeks so it has given me the perfect opportunity to cook some of my favourite dishes.
This week I cooked a juicy roast chicken with Stuffing. My trick? Oven cooking bags. I found them in my local home bargains, just a quick and simple way to cook the meat. Put it in a bag, sprinkle in some herbs, tie it up and pop in the oven. Super quick, super easy, super tasty. Cooking it this way traps all of the juices within the meat, making it so tender. Perfect for Robyn to chew.
My favourite dish to eat with a roast (and everyone else’s it seems) is cauliflower cheese. At Christmas and other special occasions I make it a little fancier, but for the weekly roast, I make a basic cauliflower cheese. This side dish is perfect for a midweek meal as well, it is a tasty way to get one of your 5 a day.
The cheese sauce can be used to make a number of dishes as well. Don’t like cauliflower? Brocoli, Brussels sprouts or leeks can be used instead. Add cooked pasta instead of veg for a rich mac and cheese. Add chicken, bacon and pasta for a tasty pasta bake. It can also be used instead of a white sauce in lasagna. By adding chives and parsley, this sauce is lovely along side fish such as salmon. It really is a versatile dish.
When cooking for little ones I avoid using reduced fat products. They are designed for adult tummies, so I stay away where I can.
Robyn certainly loves eating it and it seems to go down well with the cheese lovers amongst my friends as well. Pre-lockdown friends would message me ahead to make sure that I was cooking my cheese sauce. They would even bring their own tubs to take home any left over sauce! Cheeky!
So here is my basic cauliflower cheese recipe. (My fancy cheese recipe will remain a secret, for now at least).
You will need:
- Cooked cauliflower (I steam mine above by potatoes I use for roasties)
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups grated cheese plus extra for sprinkling on top (my favourite is cheddar)
- 1 tbsp soft cheese
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp butter
How to make:
- Preheat oven to 180°c
- Add butter and soft cheese to the pan and melt on a low heat
- Keep stiring slowly throughout
- Add 3 cups of the milk (keep 1 cup to the side)
- Add the grated cheese and continue to stir until the cheese has melted.
- Add the flour to the cup of milk you put to the side and whisk with a fork, making sure to get rid of any lumps.
- Add the milk/flour mixture to the pan and continue stiring until it has thickened
- Place the cauliflower into an oven dish
- Cover with the cheese sauce then sprinkle the top with cheese
- Put into the oven for 20 mins or until the cheese on top has melted and is golden.
- Allow to cool a little then serve.
Top tip – when using flour or similar to thicken a sauce, by desolving it first in a cold liquid will prevent any lumps in your sauce.
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Emma and Robyn's Adventures 