The Roasted Dad’s Recipes
I am an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw my business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep me sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join me, he started my instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim I (encouraged by my wife) enter MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when I get selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, I decide to go all in. Leaving my 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, I battled it out and came back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in my pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, and then entering -and winning- MasterChef. But The Roasted Dad is so much more now. I now host Private Dinner Parties, Restaurant Take-Overs and Pop-Ups and Cook-with-Me Demos, and am a Key Note Speaker at events. I share recipes on my website and regularly post accommodation and restaurant reviews too. This is a glimpse into the wild and wonderful life I lead with my wife Lianne, and our three children Aiden (7), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).
After winning MasterChef South Africa, I started sharing recipes on his blog. They are easy to produce at home, using basic cooking techniques with ingredients found at your local grocery store.
Christmas Recipes
Recipe Index
Recipes per Cuisine
Recipes per Type of Meal
Seasonal Recipes
How-to Recipes
Salad Recipes
Steak Recipes
Chicken Recipes
Pork Recipes
Lamb Recipes
Duck Recipes
Turkey Recipes
Seafood Recipes
Vegetarian Recipes
South African Recipes
Italian Recipes
French Recipes
Asian Recipes
Mexican Recipes
Sweet Recipes
Savoury Recipes
Breakfast Recipes
Side Dishes
Dinner Recipes
Lunch Recipes
Healthy Three-Way Banana Muffins
I love muffins, and so do my kids, and to give them a healthy but delicious lunchbox treat I made these healthy three-way banana muffins.
Easy but Delicious Chocolate Torte
This Rich Chocolate Torte is easy to make. I made it with a mix of flour and ground almonds, but you could easily make it gluten-free and use only ground almonds. I have also provided a dairy-free option.
No Bake Easy Marie Biscuit Chocolate Squares
The recipe lasts for about a week in an air-tight container in the fridge, but in my household they usually don’t last that long! The kids love them as a lunch box treat and as the recipe is quick and easy to make, it is a great one to get your children involved in the preparation too.
Gammon Braai Broodjies with a zesty Fennel and Mustard Slaw, Boerenkaas Cheese on Garlic and Herb Rolls
After Christmas there are often many leftovers. Why not make a Gammon Braai Broodjie with your leftover gammon on boxing day?
The Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2024
I have spent a lot more time on writing up and publishing my recipes on this website this year, and you seem to enjoy it! Traffic to the website has increased significantly month-on-month, and these were the most popular recipes this year.
The Best Christmas Recipes
Over the years, I’ve taken great care to document new dishes that I have made. Particularly over Christmas time, we like to go all out!
These are my favourite Christmas recipes.
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad
“Awter mewons!” is what my two year old shouts through the shopping aisle when he spots one of these bad boys. And his excitement is for good reason. Delicious when simply cut in slices and eaten off the skin, there is so much more you can do with watermelon.
Lemon & Herb Peri-Peri and Rosemary Deboned Leg of Lamb
As South Africans we love to braai, and what better way to enjoy the great weather this festive season? This outdoor Christmas menu includes a deboned leg of lamb, roasted straight over the coals.
Exotic Pumpkin & Butternut Salad on Whipped Feta
Christmas is traditionally a meat festival, but a good host includes some vegetarian dishes as well, to serve as either a side for the meat-eaters in your midst, or for vegetarians to dish up as their main.
South African Banana Bread made from scratch
Banana bread has gained in popularity in recent years. I have seen it on menus at trendy coffee shops like the very popular Butter All Day and Baard and Co., but franchised coffee shops like Ou Meul and Bootlegger serve banana bread as well!
The best banana bread is eaten straight out the oven, and what better way to achieve that, than to bake your own? Slicing it up whilst still warm, banana bread is delicious with generous dollop of butter, which will melt and fill the whole slice with deliciousness! Make your own, using this recipe.
Slow-cooked fall-off-the bone Turkey
Throw away any other turkey recipe you have and use this one. It’s fail proof!
South African Style Slow-Roast Leg of Lamb with Atchar
It takes a bit of planning and preparation to prepare this dish, as you need to start early in the morning or (even better) the day before, but this really comes out in the flavours!
Beetroot Salad with Whipped Feta, Bacon, Roasted Olives and Toasted Pecan Nuts
With December here, Christmas is fast approaching and so over the next few weeks I will be sharing my favourite Christmas recipes. This Beetroot Salad with Whipped Feta, Bacon, Roasted Olives and Toasted Pecan Nuts is a crowd pleaser. To make a vegetarian version, you can replace the bacon with citrus slices.
Bobotie Quesadilla Fold Overs with an Avo Dip & Bean and Atchar Side
South African food culture includes many international influences. I love Mexican food, but also enjoy adding South African flavours to it. I cooked these bobotie-inspired quesadilla fold overs on the Expresso show using the Kiln pizza oven, and they turned out great! Try the recipe yourself and let me know what you think.
Rib, Slaw and Smokey Mayo Garlic Rolls
I was invited to be on Expresso again, and cooked this irresistable lunch recipe with Carl Wastie! If you want to make it too, here is the recipe to make your own Rib, Slaw and Smokey Mayo Garlic Rolls.
Banana, Oats and Egg Pancake Recipe
On Sundays we like to make a bit more effort for breakfast. And these banana and egg pancakes are a firm favourite! The kids see it like a real treat, yet they’re a lot healthier (and quicker and easier to make) than the usual flapjacks.
Garlic rolls with Yoghurt/Mayo Coleslaw Mix and Pork Rashers
This is a simple recipe that you can quickly put together. All ingredients are available at your local Pick n Pay.
Blistered Tomatoes, Bocconcini, and Basil Leaf Salad
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: sometimes it’s the simplest salad that’s the biggest hit on the menu.
Blistered tomatoes, bocconcini, basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and of course salt and ground pepper.
The recipe is simple, and if you’re looking for step-by-step, this is it!
How to make a good South African potjie
Cooking on a fire is one of life’s greatest pleasures and it is within our South African culture to make a good potjie.
This recipe is always a winner and super simple!
Fennel and Apple Salad Recipe
As South Africans we often tend to make the same old salad to accompany our braai meat: it includes lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber. And if we want to get fancy, we add feta. Or olives. Or feta and olives - shoo, then we have really made it a bougie salad. But what if I told you, it could be so much better? A good salad can be eaten as a meal.
After Christmas there are often many leftovers. Why not make a Gammon Braai Broodjie with your leftover gammon on boxing day?