THE ONE THAT'S FAMILY MEAL

A menu inspired by Staff Food

To serve 6 people

CRISPY POTATO SKINS, PARMESAN MAYO

BREAD SALAD

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS 

CHOCOLATE POTS

I took a job as a chef in a restaurant straight after culinary school and worked there for just under 2 years. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, both mentally and physically. It was 2015 and the wellbeing of hospitality staff had not become a talking point on instagram or anywhere else for that matter. We were constantly understaffed, overworked and there was no HR of any kind. Here I am - a wee bab!

I am sure many of you have been watching The Bear - the excellent drama about chefs in Chicago. The first series, for me, really captured how utterly consuming chef life can be. When you are with a group of people for 50 + hours a week, experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows, they do become your family - your weird, sweaty, stinky, swearing kitchen family (which is very similar to the real thing in my case).

In our kitchen, Staff Food was a job shared by the whole team. Each section had to offer up something to feed the whole restaurant team twice a day, both back and front of house. Of course, margins were exceptionally tight so literally every trimming, every wonky dice, every crushed biscuit was saved to feed the crew. There was a “Staff Food” section in the fridge where all the odds and ends from our prep lived that would later be raided by desperate chefs 15 minutes before staff food was up. Despite it being an important meal the chefs themselves rarely sat and ate it. We would fill a bowl and eat whilst rushing around getting stuff ready on our section before another back breakingly busy service. But it was still a source of pride for us. It provided an outlet for your own creativity; to show the team that you could make something delicious out of nothing. It’s all well and good being able to do your section well but ultimately those aren’t your recipes. Staff food was a creative outlet for us when we felt stifled by repetitive menus. 

Sometimes during slower periods or when we had plenty of staff, we would use Staff Food as a way to try out new dishes. Or, if it was a special occasion for someone then we would make their favourite thing. On my last day the team made me lamb burgers slathered in a hollandaise made from rendered lamb fat because I famously love me some lamb. 

I worked in an Italian restaurant and 90% of the staff was Italian, so we ate pasta every single day. Therefore the chef on the pasta section (arguably the most relentless section in there) also had the biggest weight on their shoulders - cooking staff pasta for a bunch of rowdy, overtired and sometimes fairly critical Italians. Any suggestion that there wouldn’t be pasta for staff food was met with pure rage. But they were right - pasta, bread, potatoes - that was the fuel we needed to get through those long days and although it was so hard, I remember the staff food triumphs fondly. Being told I had made a good carbonara by a Roman kitchen porter, or being complimented for managing to make a halfway decent eton mess out of every single dessert on the menu. Having the whole of the front of house come back down to drop their plates in the wash and say to the kitchen team “grazie ragazzi” with big smiles was the best bump of confidence before service. 

I wanted to create a Dinner Party menu using Staff Food as my inspiration because I think it’s important to show that you can make something extremely impressive with “odds and ends”. A Family Meal in its truest sense is often leftovers and cobbled together bits, and sometimes those dinners are the best. It is possible to have friends for dinner and not break the bank, especially if you’re clever about what you freeze. That is the one big difference between a commercial kitchen and ours at home - the sheer quantity of usable leftovers. So you have to commit to a bit of freezing, in the knowledge that one day you will be able to use those frozen crusts of bread or baggies of mince for something utterly delicious. 

First up is the CLASSIC restaurant kitchen snack - deep fried potato skins. I absolutely loved making these for staff food and have kept them in my rotation ever since. Baking 5kg of potatoes for gnocchi every day resulted in a serious excess of potato skins so we would deep fry them, toss them in all manner of leftover mise-en-place and they were always a huge hit. 

Then it’s Bread Salad, to go with our main. The vast quantities of focaccia trimmings we would have mean a constant supply of stale bread. Soaked in vinegary, salty, tomatoey juices it becomes something extremely comforting and moreish. This is of course a riff on a Panzanella, but because its nature and ingredients are changeable I prefer calling it Bread Salad so as not to offend any Tuscan readers. I am in the habit of freezing all leftover bread hunks and chunks and they are perfect for this recipe. 

Our main is slightly less cobbled together but still very easy and delicious. Spaghetti and Meatballs for a crowd doesn’t have to involve hours of prep, stages or ingredients, all it requires is a bit of methodical rolling. I think of this dish as perfect “family food” - it’s made for sharing with a team in need of a boost - everyone is happier after gorging on meatballs and silky, tomatoey spaghetti. 

For pudding we are side stepping into chocolatey luxury. A Chocolate Pot is the PERFECT make ahead pudding. Doing something quick with a bit of spare chocolate and leftover egg yolks was a useful hack for the pastry section when it came to staff food. These are extremely moreish, very slutty and the work of minutes. Plus they keep for 5 days in the fridge, I know this because I have eaten one every day this week. 

CRISPY POTATO SKINS WITH GARLIC, CHILLI AND PARMESAN MAYO

I am absolutely obsessed with this dish in every way. When I used to work the garnish / veg section I would always have lots of leftover chopped red chilli and chopped garlic sitting in olive oil for service. It is DIVINE to toss your freshly fried skins in this mix, top with a few herbs (I like chives but anything goes) and serve with a pot of mayo spiked with leftover parmesan. This is my favourite kind of cooking - repurposing ingredients for the better. Plus dare I say it, these are better than crisps.

• 1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes or roughly 500g worth of skins - bake the potatoes to make Bangers and Mash and save the skins. 

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

• 30ml olive oil

• A handful of chives, finely chopped

• 150g mayonnaise

• 30g freshly grated parmesan plus extra for the top

• A squeeze of lemon

• 1l veg oil for frying

If you’ve just baked your potatoes then let the skins cool. They will fry up crispier from cold. 

Combine the chilli, garlic and olive oil together and set aside. Mix together the mayo, parmesan and lemon juice. If you can’t be bothered with this stage then simply dress the freshly fried potatoes with parmesan instead and serve with mayo. It’s just as good.

Heat the oil in a large pan or fryer to 180 degrees. Tear the skins into rough chunks, then in batches until crisp and golden, turning a couple of times during their oily bath. This will take around 2 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper, toss with the chilli and garlic oil, dress with the chives and serve with the mayo. AND THAT IS THAT AND IT’S SO SO SO SO GOOD.

MAKE AHEAD - 

• Obviously you’ll need to have your potato skins done and ready for frying. They keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or 3 months in the freezer. 

• The chilli and garlic mix will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge and can be used in all manner of dishes.

SUBSTITUTIONS - 

• Toss the skins with spice mixes like Baharat, Old Bay or Ras el Hanout

• Use any herb you like - finely chopped mint, parsley, oregano are all great.

• Serve with a yoghurty dip or a salsa or guacamole. THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER. Have a look in the Sauces and Dips section of the recipe archive for ideas. 

BREAD SALAD

Never, ever throw away bread. That was what I was taught in the kitchen in any case. I’ve actually detailed its myriad uses here in The Bread Episode along with some excellent recipes, but a Bread Salad is what we are making here. You can either go along the “make ahead” route and allow your stale bread to become soft and forgiving in the liquor of the tomatoes, or you can choose to assemble at the last minute and keep crispy croutons instead. I don’t really believe there is a right answer here, it just depends on your mood. I’ve kept this version vegan but you could of course add anchovies, parmesan or mozzarella, fried pancetta or bacon, tinned tuna, egg. Make it your own.

• 200g stale bread, torn into small chunks

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

• 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced

• 1 white onion, finely sliced

• 30ml red wine vinegar

• 1 cucumber, peeled and chunked

• 1 fennel, trimmed and finely sliced

• 300g ripe plum tomatoes, diced

• 1 very small clove of garlic, finely crushed

• A large handful of basil, torn

• A couple of generous pinches of flakey sea salt and lots of black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180 fan. Toss the bread in around 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and spread out onto a baking tray. Toast in the oven for around 15 minutes until golden, then set aside.

Add the chopped tomatoes to a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper and leave to marinate for 15 - 20 minutes. Then add in the rest of your vegetables except for the basil, along with the bread and the remaining oil and vinegar and more seasoning. Stir well to combine and leave to marinate further for 1 hour. Before serving, toss a few torn basil leaves through, check the seasoning and then pile onto a plate. Top with more basil and serve. 

MAKE AHEAD -

• If going for the soft soaked bread version, this is best made an hour before serving. 

• If going for the crispy croutons version you can make your croutons up to 6 hours ahead. Toss the marinated tomatoes with the bread remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

SUBSTITUTIONS -

As stated above this really is a blueprint salad for you to do what you wish with. Here are some ideas for more additions - 

• A few olives or capers

• Roasted peppers

• Roasted squash 

• Grilled courgette

• A couple of handfuls of chickpeas or cannellini beans

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Ever since that iconic lady and the tramp scene I’ve had a serious fascination with Spaghetti and Meatballs. It’s comforting simplicity, the beauty of the floating balls on a sea of swirling spaghetti bathed in red, the notion of the little treats nestling in the folds of pasta. It was dishes like this (that require a little more planning than just emptying the staff food shelf) that boosted morale the most in the restaurant. The chefs felt empowered and proud of their ingenuity and teamwork and the restaurant staff felt spoilt. This main course is a mood booster and we always need them in our lives. Plus it’s simple to make, can be prepped ahead and can use any types of spare mince - I always freeze little baggies of it when I have leftovers and they are perfect to use in these meatballs.

For the meatballs

• 500g mince (with no less than 20% fat) - a blend of beef, veal or pork is great, any ratio, or just 1 kind.

• 50g soft breadcrumbs

• 35ml whole milk

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• ½ a tsp of freshly grated nutmeg

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 40g parmesan, finely grated

• A very generous couple of pinches of flakey sea salt

• Plenty of black pepper

For the sauce

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

• 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced

• 800g tomato passata

• 100ml red wine

• A few basil sprigs

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 700g spaghetti 

Start with your meatballs. Mix the breadcrumbs with the milk and leave to soak for 5 minutes, then add garlic, parmesan, nutmeg, chilli, salt and pepper and stir well. Use your hands to massage this mix into your mince until it is really well combined. Heat a small frying pan with a drop of oil and use it to cook off a little tester of your meatball mix to check the seasoning. Once happy with your seasoning then proceed to roll the mix into small meatballs - between 8g and 10g each is a good size. This mix makes around 70 -75 and the rolling does take a little time but you can get lots of helpers involved or do what I do which is sit down and roll them while watching an episode of Greys Anatomy. Once your meatballs are rolled, pop them in the fridge until needed. 

To make the meatball sauce, heat the oil in a large non-stick casserole or frying pan on a medium to high heat. Gently lay in around half of the meatballs and move them around in the sizzling oil. You just want them to lightly brown and seal on all sides and moving them around helps them keep their round shape. Use a kitchen spider to remove the browned meatballs and repeat with the remaining raw half. When those have browned, add your first batch back into the pan, along with the sliced garlic. Let this all sizzle together for about a minute, then pour in your tomato passata. Swill the red wine around the passata jars to loosen any extra good stuff, then pour that in too. Let the sauce come to a simmer, drop in your basil sprigs along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then leave to cook gently on a medium heat for 15 minutes. And that’s it! 

Cook your spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water for around 9 minutes. I like to set aside some (around a third) of meatballs and a bit of their sauce to use to dress the top of the dish, and I also remove the basil stalks. Then toss your spaghetti directly into the sauce and mix well to combine. Pile onto a large platter, top with the meatballs and sauce you set aside and serve immediately with plenty of freshly grated parmesan.

MAKE AHEAD - 

• The meatballs themselves can be rolled and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days or rolled and frozen for up to 3 months. Only cook them when you are ready to make the sauce as a whole.

• The cooked meatball sauce (including meatballs) can be kept for up to 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

SUBSTITUTIONS - 

• Use any ratios of beef, veal or pork mince mixed together, or if you prefer to make with just one meat type that works too.

• Lamb mince will also work here but I wouldn’t mix it with other types of meat.

CHOCOLATE POTS

It feels like these have been a long time coming for The Dinner Party. A pot of gorgeous, rich, velvety dark chocolate goo is just a sensational finish to a meal, even if they are RICH AF. On the pastry section staff food was always a bit trickier as you tended to have fewer leftovers, so you often had to whip up a little something to spike everyone's sugar. I love topping these with little piles of whipped cream and crème fraiche. This recipe makes enough for about 8 decent sized pots, so will have a couple of spares.

For the pots

• 6 egg yolks

• 100g caster sugar

• 300g 70% dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks

• 600ml whipping cream

• 150ml double cream

For the top

• 200ml whipping cream

• 200ml crème fraiche

• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Combine the whipping cream and double cream together in a pan and place on a medium heat. When they are steaming and just starting to simmer, tip the chocolate into the pan and remove from the heat. Leave to sit for a minute before stirring - the chocolate should melt into the creams and form a lovely thick and dark mix. If you can see any specs of unmelted chocolate then pop the pan back on a gentle heat to thoroughly melt it through. Set aside while you combine the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl. Use an electric beater to whip the yolks and sugar together for about 4 minutes until thick, pale and glossy. Pour the chocolate cream into the egg yolk mix and stir well to combine - you don’t have to be super gentle with it and feel free to use a whisk to make sure it is super evenly mixed. 

Pour the mix into your chosen pots - I love using lots of odd glasses but ramekins or even jars are great too. Leave a little bit space at the top of the pot so you can cover with cling film without poking the chocolate. Cover the pots and then place into a CLEAN AND NOT STINKY fridge. Leave to chill and set in the fridge for at least 6 hours. 

Whip together the whipping cream, crème fraiche and icing sugar to soft peaks. I like to put the mix into a piping bag and then pipe it onto the top of the pots. Don’t do this until the pots have set, but if you wish you can pipe on the cream and put these back in the fridge for a few more hours - the crème fraiche stabilises the cream so it will last for a bit longer.

MAKE AHEAD - 

• You can make the pots up to 3 days ahead (for best results, they are still good after 5) but be aware that they will absorb smell from your fridge so don’t then put a sliced onion or lots of raw garlic in there with them.

SUBSTITUTIONS -

• If you wish you can add more flavour the pots with a little pinch of ground cinnamon or cardamom, or even a shot of espresso or a couple of drops of mint extract. 

TIMEPLAN 

This first plan should help you see what you can get done in advance, so that for each course on the day you have at least 1, maybe 2 major parts of it taken care of. I appreciate that not everyone’s weeks are easily peppered with dinner party prep, but if you’re hosting after work or on a day where you can’t be in the kitchen, getting ahead is going to save your arse.

MISE-EN-PLACE

This is the fancy name we give to the food prep each section in the restaurant needs to do for their dishes. Hopefully breaking down each dish like this will help you feel organised. Use the hour before your guests arrive to organise your space too- I find it helpful to group ingredients by dish so it is all in the same place. Little ramekins are really useful for this.

STYLING

FLOWERS 

I have recently invested in some flower frogs and it has made flower arranging so much more fun!! I love the levels and sculptural feel you can get from arrangements in bowls. This week I went for pink Roses (I pulled out the petals to make them blousier), chrysanthemums and dwarf dahlias in cute Autumnal colours even though we’ve had a heatwave all week.

CRISPY POTATO SKINS

Considering these are invoking memories of restaurant life, I love serving these on a metal platter or tray. That slightly industrial feel of the metal is transformed by the elegance of these frilly, flakey golden girls and their garnish. Plus using metal in a tablescape always provides a welcome contrast from elegant crockery.

BREAD SALAD

This salad is of the rustic, rough and ready persuasion but luckily it is also bright and colourful, making it an easy one to plate. I like to simply build it up on a plate into a wonderful tower of goodness. If the plate itself has colours that match the salad even better - reds, oranges, greens and yellows.

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

JUST PILE IT ON A BIG OLD PLATE. Truly there is nothing more sexy to me than a heap of spaghetti and meatballs. I love a red and white platter here to echo our deeply red sauce but a blue and white or even yellow affair would work well. This is hearty food and delicate portions are not it. Don’t forget to save some meatballs and sauce to top it with - it will wow your waiting crowd.

CHOCOLATE POTS

If you don’t have a crippling addiction to vintage glassware like me then I would pop these in rocks glasses, glass ramekins, old jam jars or a mix of all three! I think it’s fun for uniformity to be broken here. Regarding piping the cream I like using a 402 nozzle to get cute little folds.