The ultimate roast

Chefs from restaurants across town give us a peak into their prized recipes for the quintessential Xmas centrepiece. Oh, and we have a simple blueprint from a home chef, so you can take to the kitchen, too

Memories of an Xmas dinner

A dinner at his aunt's house in Wimbledon provides the inspiration for co-owner Siddharth Kashyap's holiday roast whole spring chicken. "We dry brine and hang the chicken a day before. Then, we rub it with our house chipotle spiced butter and stuff it with a filling. It's roasted on a bed of vegetables and served with these veggies, potato mash, garlicky collard greens, garlic and pepperoni knots."

At The Boston Butt, Dr Ambedkar Road, Bandra West.
Time 12 pm to 1.30 am
Call 9769485094
Cost Rs 999

On a roulade

The pollo arrosto at this Italian diner comes with pumpkin puree, bread roulade, herbed ricotta and a red wine jus. Speaking about what makes the dish unique, chef Aabhas Mehrotra tells us, "Every place does their version of the roast chicken, and the basics are usually are the same. What's different here is that we serve it with a bread roulade, which is made with cranberries, sage, prunes, brioche and apricots. So, it helps add a festive touch to the roast."

At Sorrentina by Foodhall, Foodhall@Linking Road, Santacruz West.
Time 12 pm to 12 am
Call 260653705
Cost Rs 800

Beery beery good

At this brewery, the classic roast chicken makes use of lemon, honey, thyme and paprika. Chef Hansel Baptista shares, "We brine the chicken in beer and marinate it for more than 12 hours, before roasting it."

At Crafters Tap House, Haiko Palace Mall, Powai.
Time 12 pm to 1.30 am
Call 9920405463
Cost Rs 550

An English treat with a new-age twist

Chicken is an affordable meat. It is also easier to cook than other meats," says chef Nagraj Bhat of a gastropub that is known for its fun, easy-going take on food. Here, the chicken roast is part of their special Christmas brunch and the British recipe comes with garlicky parmesan sweet potatoes. Here too, the roast is brined before hand.

At London Taxi (Lower Parel and Khar West).
Time 12 pm to 1 am; 12 pm to 4 pm (Christmas brunch timing)
Call 8446149380
Cost Rs 2,500 ( for food and alcohol); Rs 2,000 (food and mocktails)

A slice of Italy

Try the Italian chicken roast at this restaurant. "Our brined and roasted chicken comes with Italian spices, lemon, garlic and rosemary, grilled vegetables and new potatoes" says chef Jerry Thomas.

At The Bandra Project, Pali Hill, Bandra West.
Time 8.30 am to 1 am
Call 62506800
Cost Rs 795

We are truffl-ing every day

The truffle roast chicken available at this fine-dine is brimming with a palpable earthiness. "The recipe is quite traditional, but we wanted to add our own touch, so we incorporate truffle oil into the dish, which adds earthy notes. We brine the bird in salt solution with herbs and pepper corn and then, marinate it the next day. This allows the truffle oil and spices to seep into the meal," reveals chef Paul Kinny.

At Luna, The St. Regis Mumbai, Level 37, Lower Parel.
Time 5 pm to 11.45 pm
Call 8291926985
Cost Rs 2,550

Also try

We add Indian twists to the dish with a mango glaze, apple and mint chutney, duck broth and ragi rotis," says Prateek Sadhu about the duck roast at his restaurant.

At Masque, Mahalaxmi.
Call 9819830575

Try this out

Home style

This is the simplest way to cook a chicken roast, because the recipe calls for ingredients sitting on your kitchen shelf," says home chef Alefiya Jane about the crock-pot style chicken roast, an heirloom East Indian recipe that she inherited from her grandmother.

East indian Chicken Roast Crock-pot style

Ingredients

2 kgs whole chicken (with skin — optional), 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp black pepper powder, 8 dry Kashmiri chillies whole, 1 tsp black pepper corn, 1 tsp clove, 5 white cardamom, 3 cinnamon sticks, 4 bay leaves, 1 whole large lemon quatered, 4 spring onions chopped roughly, 400 ml white wine or chicken broth, 6 tbsp butter softened, salt for seasoning, oil for tempering

Instructions

1. Wash the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel.
2. Tuck the chicken wings underneath the breasts and stuff the cavity with spring onions, lemon and garlic cloves.
3. Mix the butter, ginger garlic paste, pepper powder and salt together.
4. Loosen the skin of the chicken breast and rub the mixture on the outside and underneath the skin.
5. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
6. Use a heavy-bottom casserole on medium heat. Add oil and throw in the whole spices and saute till they are fragrant.
7. Place the whole chicken in the casserole and put a lid on. Wait for 5 mins till one side has browned and turn the chicken to the other side. Keep the lid on for another 5 minutes.
8. Add the white wine or chicken broth and put the lid back on.
9. Let your chicken cook on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes; keep checking it. If the liquid dries up you can keep adding more wine or broth till it is well done. This ensures that the meat is tender and juicy.
10. Serve it with sauteed bell peppers, potato mash and a glass of white wine.

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