Five simple recipes for baked meats to show off in the New Year

When you think of New Year’s food, don’t look at the chicken egg. It’s true: given its lower price, we usually eat it regularly. However, you can always give it a spin with a simple but distinguished preparation, which in this case is enough for four people.

Roasted chicken with potatoes

—1 whole chicken

—12 large potatoes with skin

-2 cloves garlic

—½ lemon

—Salt, pepper, lemon zest and olive oil

First you need to wash the chicken with plenty of cold water, then dry it with paper towels, until there is no more moisture. Then season it on all sides, including its inner cavity, with plenty of salt, pepper and lemon zest. With the help of your hands, massage the chicken so that the seasonings reach and penetrate all corners of the chicken. Once this task is complete, introduce the garlic cloves and half a lemon inside the chicken, then tie its legs with a straw.

Meanwhile, turn on the oven at 200º and wash the unpeeled potatoes in plenty of water and cut them in half. Without drying them out, put them in a baking dish and season them with just a pinch of salt and pepper, plus a generous drizzle of olive oil. Toss everything well, then place the chicken over the potatoes, covering them completely, breast side up. Add a little olive oil on top and put in a hot oven for half an hour.

After this time, carefully remove the dish and, using a spoon, bathe the chicken and potatoes with the same juices that have been released. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and a translucent liquid comes out when pierced. Cut into four and serve with the potatoes plus the remaining liquid from the source (after sieving).

Bonuses usually increase for this down jacket for these weeks of the year. However, whether due to its large dimensions or its extra-lean meat, the truth is that often the results with turkey in the kitchen are not the best. It is accused of being dry or bland, but the fault lies not with the turkey but with the person who cooks it.

To keep it simple and enjoyable, here’s a recipe that only calls for boneless turkey breast, but yields little for about six people. Just start doing it the day before, but it really couldn’t be simpler.

Baked Turkey Breast with Roasted Vegetables

—1 boneless turkey breast (2 kilos, approx.)

—4 carrots

—4 onions

—2 red peppers

—2 green peppers

—1 tray of portobello mushrooms (or the biggest you can find)

—2 zucchini

—2 eggplants

-1 bay leaf

-2 cloves garlic

—1 lemon

—2 tablespoons strong mustard

—2 cups of white wine

—Salt, pepper and olive oil

This recipe should be started the day before the dinner in question. Fill a large saucepan with cold water, a tablespoon of salt, a few whole black peppercorns, a bay leaf, two garlic cloves and half a sliced ​​lemon. Put on the fire and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes, turn off the heat and let cool. Once the water is ready, immerse the turkey breast in it for twelve hours.

After that, remove it from the pan and let it drain in a pasta strainer. Meanwhile, wash the vegetables (except mushrooms and onions) and cut the carrots lengthways, the peppers into thin strips, and the courgettes and aubergines into thick slices.

Preheat the oven to 200º. Put all the cut vegetables, plus the whole mushrooms and the peeled and quartered onions, in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, plus a good drizzle of olive oil. Stir and reserve.

In a cup, put the two tablespoons of mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Stir well and use this mixture to paint the turkey breast with your hands.

Once blackened, place the breast on the vegetables and put it in a medium oven —180º— for 30 minutes. At the end of this time, take the dish out of the oven, turn the duck breast over and add the two cups of white wine. Return the dish to the oven and leave for another half hour. When it is ready, let it rest for a few minutes then serve it in thin slices, accompanied by the vegetables and their cooking juices which have been strained beforehand.

Another good option for New Year’s food, and really for all occasions, is baked pork. Personally, despite the fact that today it is possible to find excellent lean cuts of this animal, I prefer to use one with more fat, in order to obtain a very tasty end result. So, I leave you with this inexpensive recipe for baked pulp with roasted onion, which about four to five people eat.

Roasted onion pulp

—1 kilo of pork pulp

—3 onions, peeled and quartered

—1 cup dried plums

—Salt, pepper, cumin and olive oil

—2 cups of white wine

First, leave the plums in a container with hot water so that they hydrate. Then put the onion in a baking dish, season with a pinch of salt plus a drizzle of olive oil and stir. Season the meat with salt, pepper and cumin on all sides, then place it on the onion. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in a strong oven —220°— for half an hour. At the end of this time, take the dish out of the oven, turn the pulp over, add the white wine, and give another fifteen minutes of cooking.

Finally, remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes, then serve in more or less thick cuts, accompanied by the roasted onion and on top the previously hydrated, finely chopped plums.

We also can’t leave out the ever-trusty beef, which also performs wonderfully in the oven. As things — or rather the prices — are not at the top, today we are leaning towards a classic recipe roast beef warm, made with seat. In other words, at a good price and, if cut thin, for a number of people.

Roast beef headquarters

—1 kilo of clean, grease-free seat

—1 tablespoon strong mustard

—Salt, pepper and olive oil

With the help of your hands, bathe the piece of meat with the mustard. Then, season it with salt and pepper on all sides and put it in a greased baking dish. Add a little more olive oil on top and place in a very strong oven —250º— for twenty-five to thirty minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest. After ten minutes it can be cut and served in very thin slices. But if you want it cold, let it sit for about four hours before cutting it. Serve with various salads and a little more mustard to spread the meat.

Yes, we can also use the oven to cook fish. But of course, since it is very hot, it is better to take precautions. That is to say, choose a firm fish that lasts and a recipe that does not abuse it. Next? A great option is sea bass with salt. It is done quickly and does not require much effort. Also, with a bar (they are usually very big), six or more people can easily eat.

sea ​​bass in salt

—1 whole, clean corvina

—3 kilos of coarse salt

-2 lemons

—Salt, pepper, fresh dill and olive oil

In the oven mould, make a bed of salt then place the sea bass on it. Inside the fish put the sliced ​​lemons, fresh dill, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Then cover all the fish with salt until it is no longer visible. Bake in a moderate oven —200º— for 30 minutes. After that, take it out and, using a hammer or a large knife, break the salt crust, so that you can then remove the fish portions. Serve with white rice and salads.

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of December 27, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.