Our 10 best recipes for vegetables and side dishes

The meat may be the star of the show, but a roast dinner is nothing without its supporting cast of vegetables. We select our 10 best side dishes...

The leafy greens: Swiss chard, parsley and spinach

A clean, fresh tangle of garlic-flecked leaves for the table. A lovely accompaniment to rich dishes.

Serves 4 
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves blanched, stalks roughly chopped into 1cm pieces and blanched until soft
500g spinach, blanched until soft in boiling salted water and drained well
A small handful of capers
Juice of 2 lemons
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper

1 Fry the garlic in the oil until golden brown. Add the Swiss chard leaves and stalks, capers and spinach, toss with the garlic and oil. Add the lemon juice and parsley. Check the seasoning and serve.
Natalia Conroy, The Kitchen Orchard (Ebury), theurbanorchard.co.uk

The vibrant dollop: Carrot and roasted red pepper puree

An intense spoonful of colour with an intriguing flavour. A little goes a long way on your plate, so dollop sparingly.

Serves 4-6
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2.5cm rounds
2 roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
2 tsp soft, unsalted butter or 4 tsp low‑fat yoghurt
¼ tsp ground mace
1½ tsp salt

1 Put the carrots in a medium-size saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender – about 10 minutes. Drain well.

2 Put the carrots in a food processor with the roasted red peppers. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3 Add the butter or yoghurt, mace and salt. Process until well combined. Serve immediately.
Molly O’Neil; first published in the New York Times

The sweet root: Roast parsnips with maple syrup and sesame seeds

A roast wouldn’t be complete without these pale roots. These have the added sweetness of maple syrup and a scattering of sesame seeds for dramatic effect.

Serves 4
6 medium parsnips, cut in quarters lengthways, cores cut out
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp maple syrup
Juice of ¼ lemon or 2 tsp cider vinegar
Sea salt
Black pepper
1½ tsp black sesame seeds
½ tsp white sesame seeds

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Toss the parsnips in a big bowl with the oils and a pinch of salt and put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle any oil left in the bowl on top, plus a little extra olive oil, just for luck.

2 Roast the parsnips until they start to caramelise (about 20 minutes). While they are roasting, take them from the oven a couple of times and toss them in the bowl you originally used. This will help them to roast evenly.

3 When they start taking on a little colour, tip them back into the bowl, drizzle with the maple syrup and the lemon juice or vinegar, toss them once more and return them to the oven.

4 When the maple syrup has gone sticky and the parsnips are golden brown (about 10-15 minutes) remove them from the oven and serve, sprinkled with some more salt and the sesame seeds.
Oliver Rowe, @OliverRowe

The cubed root: Twice-cooked celeriac with brown butter and hazelnuts

The celeriac is baked whole to intensify the flavour, then seared in a pan just before serving. You can do all the prep well in advance, meaning all you need to do before serving the dish is some theatrical tossing of vegetables in a hot frying pan.

erves 4
A whole celeriac, cleaned, but unpeeled
100g hazelnuts, shelled and peeled
125g butter
Fine sea salt
A splash of sherry vinegar
A small bunch of chervil, chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Season the celeriac with a pinch of salt, then wrap it in tin foil. Bake for at least an hour, or until you can easily pierce the flesh with a knife. Take it out and wait until it’s cool enough to handle.

2 Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet for around 8 minutes. Gently crush into small chunks with the back of a knife.

3 With a sharp knife, trim the skin and roots from the celeriac, and cut into 2cm cubes.

4 Just before you want to serve the celeriac, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the butter is foaming, carefully add the cubes of celeriac and season with salt. Baste the celeriac with the foaming butter and keep moving everything around so the cubes gets some colour on all their sides. You will notice the butter beginning to caramelise and turn nutty brown. Add the hazelnuts and a dash of sherry vinegar, then turn the heat right down. Give everything a final toss, check the seasoning, and finish with plenty of chopped chervil. Serve immediately.
Nicholas Balfe, Salon

The smoky green: Charred hispi cabbage with smoked bacon

Lightly charring the leaves of this conical brassica adds a nice bitter foil to its sweetness.

Serves 4
1-2 hispi cabbages
50g smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked and chopped
30g unsalted butter
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper

1 Heat a griddle pan to a medium heat and quarter the cabbage lengthways, removing the hard, internal core with a sharp knife.

2 Peel the layers of leaves, toss them with a little olive oil and season well.

3 Workings in batches, throw the leaves on to the grill and cook briskly until lightly charred. This will be a quick process – you need to stay with the cabbage and turn it with tongs to stop burning. Reserve the leaves in a serving bowl and cover with clingfilm.

4 Sweat the bacon and rosemary over a medium heat, until lightly browned. Add the butter, then cook until it turns light brown and foamy. Stir in the vinegar, season well, then pour over the cabbage. Serve immediately.
Ben Tish, Salt Yard

The creamy root: Mashed swede with clotted cream and parsley

An old-fashioned side with the added luxury of clotted cream.

Serves 4
1 medium swede, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
50g butter
1 tbsp clotted cream
A generous pinch of white pepper
A generous pinch of salt
∫ small bunch of curly parsley, chopped

1 Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and simmer until the swede is tender and well cooked (about 20 minutes).

2 Once cooked, drain in a colander and place back in the pan. Add the butter, cream, pepper and salt, then mash until relatively smooth and creamy. Put in a bowl and sprinkle with parsley.
Alex Bluett, Friska

The rich bake: Beetroot and shallot gratin

Earthy beetroots and sweet caramelised shallots perfectly partner the pungency of the epoisses cheese.

Serves 6-8
500g beetroot, topped and tailed, scrubbed clean
25g butter, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp light flavoured oil
500g shallots, peeled and halved lengthways
3 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp rosemary needles, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp caster sugar
600ml double cream
250g epoisses de Bourgogne cheese, thinly sliced

1 Cut the beetroot into 5mm-thick slices. Add to a pan of boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, until just starting to soften. Drain well.

2 Meanwhile, melt the butter and oil in a large, high-sided frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the shallots. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown and starting to soften, but still able to hold their own shape. Add the thyme, rosemary, garlic and sugar and cook for a further 3 minutes.

3 Set the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Butter a large oven dish, with around 1.5 litre capacity.

4 Tip the beetroot into the frying pan with the shallots, season well and stir to combine. Pour over the cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and tip half of the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Dot with half of the cheese, then pour over the remaining beetroot and shallot mixture. Arrange the beetroot slices so they are laying flat in the dish. Make sure you scrape out all of the liquid and add to the dish, cover with the remaining cheese and bake in the hot oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the beetroot is really tender and the pink, creamy sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Rosie Reynolds, rosiereynolds.co.uk

The flavourful florets: Charred broccoli with lemon, chilli, honey and garlic

To gain a charred edge on your broccoli – and a deeper, fuller flavour – give it as much space as possible on your baking sheet. If its too crowded, it will steam instead of browning.

Serves 6
1 head of broccoli
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
Zest of 1 lemon and juice of half
1 thumb-sized red chilli, seeded, diced
1 tbsp honey

1 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Use a carrot peeler to remove the tough outer skin of the broccoli stem, then trim the edge off the bottom. Slice the broccoli in half, then cut into 25mm slices. Toss with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and some salt.

2 Place on a very large baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, or until its browned or charred at the edges. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the garlic and toss again.

3 While its roasting, whisk the lemon juice, zest, chilli, 2 tbsp olive oil and some salt in a small bowl. When the broccoli is done, drizzle the dressing over and give it a gentle toss. Spoon into a serving bowl or platter.
Jennifer Joyce, jenniferjoyce.co.uk

The rich spoonful: Roasted cauliflower cheese with fried capers

A crowd-pleaser that vies for attention. Move over meat ...

Serves 4
1 medium whole cauliflower
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
40g unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
40g plain flour
600ml whole milk
A grating of nutmeg
100g gruyere or Comté
100g mature cheddar
1 tsp white wine, cider vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
1 tbsp of capers, drained
Olive oil

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Strip the rough outer leaves from the cauliflower and put it in a roasting tin. Rub it all over with a bit of olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Roast it in the oven for about 30 minutes, until it’s golden, caramelising on the outside and smelling really good.

2 Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a nonstick saucepan over a medium heat with the bay leaf. Then add the flour and cook, stirring, for two minutes or so, until the roux is starting to bubble. Add the milk, little by little, stirring with a whisk, until all the milk is incorporated and you have a smooth, lump-free sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes, until thickened, and then season with nutmeg and black pepper. Add the cheese and stir over the heat until it’s melted and smooth. Taste the sauceand adjust the seasoning, and 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice to pique it.

3 Remove the cauliflower from the oven, smother it with the cheese sauce, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, turning the heat down to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and baking until golden. Remove from the oven and allow it to settle while you fry the capers.

4 Meanwhile, dry the capers in kitchen paper. Heat a good slug of olive oil in a nonstick frying pan over a high heat. Fry the capers for a few minutes, until puffed and crispy, then drain on kitchen paper.

5 Serve the cauliflower with the capers scattered over. Particularly good with roast pork.
Rosie Birkett, A Lot on Her Plate (Hardie Grant)

The spiced root: Honey roasted carrots

Make this extra-vibrant by using different-coloured carrots.

Serves 4-6
1.3kg carrots
60g honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
A small bunch of whole thyme sprigs
Salt and black pepper

1 Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Peel the carrots and halve them widthways, then quarter or halve lengthways; you’re after long, roughly 2cm x 6cm pieces here.

2 In a large bowl, put the carrots, honey, olive oil, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, thyme, 1 tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix until the carrots are well coated.

3 Spread the carrots out over 1 large or 2 medium baking trays. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until soft and glazed. Transfer to a serving platter and serve still warm.
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi