vegetarian nut roastWith so many fantastic recipes for a classic nut roast to choose from, we were hard pressed to select our favourite for the #NewbyChristmas recipe round-up. Luckily, you can't go wrong with a recipe by famed British chef and superfood expert Jamie Oliver, so we've selected this Vegetarian Nut Roast as one of our essential Christmas recipes. Simple to make, yet very impressive when served to friends and family on the big day, this is a failsafe recipe for a winning main course.

Ingredients

For the roast

  • 50g pistachios , chopped
  • 50g linseed
  • 50g sunflower seeds
  • 100g chestnut purée
  • 50g gluten-free vegetarian suet
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • gluten-free flour , for dusting
For the blue cheese topping
  • 400g sweet potato , cut into cubes
  • rapeseed oil
  • 20g butter
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms , sliced
  • cracked black pepper
  • 100g crème fraîche
  • a good pinch of nutmeg
  • 75g vegetarian blue cheese
  • 1 tsp linseed
  • 1 tsp chopped pistachios
  • 1 tsp sunflower seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. For the nut roast crust, spread out the nuts and seeds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5–6 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, along with the chestnut purée, suet and maple syrup, and blitz until the mixture comes together into a ball. It will be very sticky to begin with, so stop and scrape the sides as you go. Place a large sheet of baking parchment on a work surface and sit the dough on it. Then, with lots of gluten-free flour on your hands and rolling pin, roll out the dough as thinly as possible (less than 5mm). If you’re making individual tartlets, oil and flour four 10cm loose-bottomed tart tins, then cut out the pastry to size. Or roll out the dough and cut to the size of a large baking tin, then transfer to the tin using a fish slice. Prick the dough all over with a fork, cover with baking parchment, fill with baking beans or rice and bake blind for 12–15 minutes. Leave to cool completely in the baking tray, as it will be quite delicate straight from the oven. Keep the oven on. For the topping, pop the sweet potato on a baking tray, toss with a little oil, then bake for 25 minutes, or until soft. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the mushrooms and 1 tsp cracked black pepper, and sauté for 6–8 minutes, until the mushrooms brown. Blitz the roasted sweet potato in a food processor with the crème fraîche, nutmeg and ½ tbsp cracked black pepper (or to taste) to a smooth, creamy consistency. To assemble your tart, crumble the blue cheese over the base, arrange the sautéed mushrooms on top, then finish with the sweet potato mix. Sprinkle with linseed, pistachios and sunflower seeds and add a drizzle of rapeseed oil, then pop back in the oven for 6–7 minutes until it just starts to brown. Serve hot with the accompanying vegetables. This delicious main is filled with hearty, protein-rich ingredients that will leave you feeling more than satisfied and, with the addition of roast potatoes and vegetables, probably a little overstuffed too. Enter the perfect antidote to a full stomach, a soothing cup of peppermint tea, best enjoyed shortly after your meal. That's post-Christmas lunch relaxation covered.