Recipes, Side Dish Recipes

Val’s roasted christmas apples recipe

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Roasted Christmas Apples Recipe: My very favourite accompaniment for a roasted bird or a trimmed rib of beef, these roasted Christmas apples are as festive as it gets. Stuffed with sausage meat, a touch of ginger biscuit crumble, and topped with a spoonful of tangy redcurrant or bramble jelly, they balance sweetness and savouriness beautifully.

The apples soften in the oven, their skins splitting slightly to reveal a golden band of tender flesh, while the filling becomes rich and aromatic. The crushed ginger biscuits add warmth and texture, preventing the jelly from melting away too soon. Pair these with roast turkey, pork, beef, or even a Christmas cockerel, and watch them disappear from plates in no time.

This recipe is simple enough for a casual gathering yet striking enough to earn a spot at the most elaborate of Christmas feasts. Pair it with my Bread Sauce Recipe Easy for the ultimate festive meal, and watch your guests delight in the perfect combination of traditional and unique flavours. A true seasonal showstopper!

Five roasted Christmas apples filled with sausage and topped with jelly.

Makes 6

Ingredients

Method

  1. Prepare the Filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage meat with 5 crushed ginger biscuits and the cracked black pepper. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
  2. Prepare the Apples: Core the apples, ensuring you leave enough of the base intact to hold the filling.
  3. Stuff the Apples: Divide the sausage meat mixture into 6 equal portions and firmly pack it into the core of each apple.
  4. Roast the Apples: Place the stuffed apples on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven at 180°C until the apples are soft and cooked through. You’ll know they’re ready when a visible band of exposed apple flesh appears around the centre where the skin was cut.
  5. Add the Topping: Remove the apples from the oven. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining crushed ginger biscuit to create a barrier that prevents the jelly from melting.
  6. Finish with Jelly: Spoon a dollop of redcurrant or bramble jelly onto the top of each apple for a tangy-sweet finish.
  7. Serve and Enjoy: Serve the roasted stuffed apples alongside roast turkey, cockerel, pork, or beef for a festive and flavourful accompaniment.

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Valentine Warner is a chef, food writer, business owner and broadcaster, with a deep interest in nature, travel and provincial food. He describes his cooking style as ‘International Grandmother’ and combines his strong sense of storytelling with his infectious love of cookery. Val has a deep respect and understanding of ingredients, both wild and cultivated, and has the instinctive ability to rustle up hearty and wholesome meals from whatever’s available. Val is an avid proponent of native food sources, and finds common ground with Swaledale in their work to deliver top-notch meat, within a truthful, ethical and high welfare framework. Originally a trained portrait painter, Val has also authored 5 cookbooks, managed his own catering company and is a co-owner of Taqueria, a West London Mexican cafe. Val is also a partner in the Hepple Distillery in Northumberland and Holmen Lofoten hotel on arctic Norway’s Lofoten island.