Christmas dinner, oh yeah!

This year, we spent Christmas in Nice and after spending it 3 times in a row in Australia (which was also super delicious but different), I was excited to get the whole French menu bonanza again! It had been a while and it was worth the wait.

Yum!! But of course, what would be the point of Christmas without the good company which made it to Nice despite snowstorms in Paris and having to cross the Atlantic Ocean to be here. This Christmas wouldn't have been the same without Mothe & Lolo, Papa, Paulu & Marco, Jeremy, Bastien, Sandrine & little Lena, Bonne-maman, Bon-papa & Pierrot, my darling husband Chris and yours dearest, the Soup Chef.

Is there anything with a better goodness to easiness ratio than a roast?

Yesterday, chris went skiing and I figured that he would be feeling like a good warm and filling dinner. Besides, a full on tartiflette with a whole reblochon, I couldn't think of anything better than a roast to greet him with the appropriate amount of domestic godessness.

The thing that makes a roast hard to beat is that it's so incredibly easy to prepare while still being exciting and lip-smacking good. You can feed quite a few people and it doesn't need to be expensive at all.

I bought a 1kg pork roast. Usually, I would just rub it with some herbs and olive oil, stick a few garlic cloves into the meat, stick it in the oven with a few veggies and be done with it. This time, I decided to make it a bit more exciting so I looked up "Pork roast mustard" on google and came across a really good mustard and honey marinade recipe. It barely requires any ingredients and is delicious. Once the ingredients for the marinade are combined in a small bowl, all you have to do is cut a few slits into the roast and apply the marinade generously on the meat and between the slits so that it is really everywhere. It will create a deliciously hot, sweet & sticky layer of crispiness on top and soak into all of your vegetables. A good rule is to bake for 1/2 hour for 500 grams of meat. To check that it is cooked throughout, insert a knife into the middle. If the juice comes out quite clear, then it should be cooked.

For vegetables, you can use whatever you like, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, onion, garlic cloves in their skin, beetroot, parsnip, carrots etc... Cut them into chunks, toss them with oil to coat and then put them into the same baking dish as the meat. Once the meat is ready, you can remove it and turn the oven heat up a little bit for 10 or 15 minutes to give the vegetables a nice crisp. Once they are cooked, season them with salt, pepper, herbs. It doesn't hurt to also boil or steam a few green beans as a side.

Honey and mustard glazing

(for 1.5 kg pork roast)

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp black pepper (this is somewhat optional, you can obviously reduce the amount)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt