Neven Maguire: make sides the star of the show

Can you believe it, here we are: 2025 is just a few days away and we are gearing up to say goodbye to the year 2024.

While it has been a difficult time for the restaurant industry, we are thankful to have had a good 2024 at MacNean House – the year we celebrated 35 years in business. When it comes to longevity, I really believe consistency is key. The spirit of my parents, who started the business all those years ago, are still very much a part of MacNean.

They really started it all.

Thank you to all of our wonderful customers and especially to our weekly readers of the Irish Farmers Journal, who often visit us.

After such a busy lead up to Christmas, this is a traditional time for restaurants to take a much-needed and well-deserved break. My family and I really enjoy the time off as do our staff.

In the middle of the year, we also close for a week in June, which works really well for staff with families and small children – they can take a bit of a summer break.

This has also been a good year for our family. The highlight was definitely when Connor and Lucia entered into secondary school in Manorhamilton – the same school I attended years ago with my twin brother, David. They have settled in so well and are really enjoying their time there, which is wonderful to see.

I also had a really enjoyable year filming food programmes with RTÉ. I was able to visit some amazing restaurants throughout Ulster this year where there is a wide selection of quality dining experiences on offer. Actually, there is a wide selection nationwide, as well as a really vibrant energy and serious talent in the newer generations of Irish chefs.

We can be a bit hard on ourselves sometimes, and don’t always recognise the many good things happening in the industry. I prefer to look at the positives. We’ve been blessed with good health and have a great team.

Good health and teamwork are both important in my line of work. They are also important for any Manchester United supporter (I have a good feeling about Ruben Amorim)! Aside from within the restaurant, I’d also like to see some consistency and momentum with my favourite soccer team. All going well, Connor and I will visit Old Trafford before too long while they are in the middle of a winning streak.

The side stars

Speaking of winning, you need to try these smashed roast potatoes with your dinner. When you parboil the potatoes, cook them until they are soft but not overcooked – after all, they are going to finish cooking in the oven.

Garlic, rosemary and thyme are always a delicious combination when it comes to potatoes, and this recipe is no exception to that rule. Douse them in the garlic-infused oil and leave them to roast until they are beautifully crisp and golden.

Next up is these petits pois. They offer a nice blend of flavours and good texture with the addition of the bacon. It’s an ideal side dish for any dinner, but would be equally nice alongside the pie you make with Christmas leftovers. Though the peas are braised, you don’t want them to overcook or become too mushy. They don’t take too long to cook and you want them to be a nice, vibrant green to keep that fresh pea flavour, which goes so nicely with all of the other ingredients.

Lastly, we have honey-glazed spiced carrots, a classic French recipe which can be whipped up in no time at all. We serve these regularly in the restaurant using baby carrots from Iona Farm in Lusk, Co Dublin. John Donnelly and his family are wonderful producers, who I am lucky enough to have visited. When adding that element of sweetness, feel free to swap out the honey for a nice maple syrup.

Ingredients: Serves 4–6

500g baby new potatoes (such as Charlotte)

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

25g butter

1 garlic bulb, separated into cloves and lightly bashed in their skins

4 fresh thyme sprig leaves, stripped from their stems

Sea salt flakes

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2 Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and leave to steam dry for a few minutes.

3 Arrange the potatoes in a large, shallow baking tin; leaving enough space between each one so they have room to spread once smashed.

4 Using the back of a large spoon or a potato masher, push down lightly on each of the potatoes to make them crack open, then season with salt.

5 Heat the oil, butter, garlic and thyme in a small pan, and drizzle the mixture over the potatoes. Roast everything for one hour, turning once about halfway

through, until the potatoes are crisp and golden.

6 Remove from the oven and pile on to a platter. Garnish with a little flaky sea salt to serve.

Ingredients: Serves 4–6

1 tbsp olive oil

100g smoked streaky bacon lardons

4 tbsp white wine

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

400g frozen petits pois

50ml fresh chicken stock (from a carton)

2 little gem lettuces, cut into quarters

40g butter, chilled and diced

4 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Heat a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the oil with the bacon lardons and sauté until they are golden and have released their fat.

2 Pour in the wine and add the scallions, then allow the mixture to bubble for 2 minutes.

3 Add the petits pois and chicken stock, then bring back to the boil and cook for 3 minutes.

4 Carefully place the lettuce quarters on top of the petits pois mixture, with the stalks facing upwards. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Remove the lettuce and put on a plate.

5 Add the butter into the petits pois mixture and give everything a good stir. Then simmer gently until the butter has formed a smooth emulsion sauce. Season to taste and stir in the parsley.

6 Tip most of the petits pois mixture into a warm dish and arrange the lettuce on top, then finish with the rest of the petits pois mixture to serve.

Ingredients: Serves 4–6

50g shelled pistachio nuts

400g baby carrots

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp raw Irish honey

2 tsp spicy red pepper and herb seasoning

Handful fresh dill sprigs

Sea salt

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the pistachio nuts in a roasting tin and toast for 5 minutes, then tip on to a chopping board and roughly chop. Scrub the carrots and trim the tops.

2 Add the carrots to a roasting tin with the oil and season with salt. Roast for 30 minutes.

3 Mix the honey with the spicy pepper and herb seasoning. Drizzle over the roasted carrots and cook for another

10 minutes until the carrots are soft and caramelised.

4 Arrange the carrots on a serving platter, drizzling over any juices left in the tin and a little extra oil.

5 Scatter over the dill sprigs and pistachio nuts to serve. Use virgin oil to drizzle over, if needed.

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