Christmas 2018: Three festive side dishes to brighten up your feast

The big day's feast is not all about the meat (or meat-free) choice, the vegetable accompaniments are just as important

Carrots with a crunchy chestnut and herb topping

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Serves 4

500g carrots
50g butter
2 tsp olive oil
100g chestnuts, chopped
100g white breadcrumbs 
½ bunch parsley, chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Place whole carrots in a steamer over a pan of simmering water and put the lid on. Steam for five minutes or until the carrots are tender then add 25g of the butter.

Melt the remaining butter and the oil in a small frying pan, add a handful each of chopped chestnuts and fresh white breadcrumbs. Fry over a medium heat until the crumbs are golden and crunchy.

Stir in a handful of chopped parsley and some salt and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over a bowl of freshly steamed and buttered carrots.

Recipe from chantenay.com

Quick cooked radishes and kale

This vibrant green and pink side dish has a delicious flavour that’ll keep you coming back for more. The perfect accompaniment to a hearty roast.

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5-7 minutes

Serves: 4 (as a side dish)

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
200g radishes, halved (we’ve used French Breakfast radishes)
250g chopped kale 
½ small pack thyme, leaves stripped from the stalks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the sliced garlic, halved radishes, chopped kale and thyme leaves.

Toss in the pan for 5-7 minutes until the kale is toasty at the edges and the radishes have softened slightly. Season to taste. Serve immediately.

Recipe from loveradish.co.uk

Roast potatoes, parsnips and shallots with pancetta and bay leaves

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 ½ hours

Serves 6

1.5kg potatoes, medium sized, peeled
900g parsnips, medium sized, peeled
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped, plus a few sprigs
6-8 tbsp rapeseed oil
12 shallots, peeled
200g pancetta, roughly chopped
6 whole bay leaves
Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6

Cut any large potatoes in half and all of the parsnips in half lengthways, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until par-boiled. Meanwhile cook the parsnips in the same way in another pan for 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes well then return to the pan and cover, shake the pan to roughen the edges of the potatoes.

Drain the parsnips and toss them in the flour, chopped thyme and seasoning.

Pour the rapeseed oil into a large roasting tin and heat in the oven; you need around 1cm of oil in the tin. Add the potatoes and turn them over in the oil using a slotted spoon. Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes, remove the tin from the oven and turn the potatoes, add the parsnips and shallots and turn them in the oil too. Roast for a further 35-40 minutes then turn all of the vegetables again, add the pancetta.

Increase the heat to 220°C/Gas 7 for a further 15-20 minutes, adding the thyme sprigs and bay leaves for the final 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and black pepper and serve immediately.

Recipe from ukshallot.com