Sides on Chris Wagner

Sunday Spread: Roast Chicken, Frikadelle, Spicy Rice and Creamy Spinach

cw@wagner.org.za (Chrisando Wagner) — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Braai leftovers from yesterday are long gone, so today’s the proper sit-down Sunday lunch — four things on the go at once, all timed to land on the table together. Roast chicken is the anchor, done simply with herb butter under the skin so the skin actually crisps. Frikadelle is the second protein, more because I had the mince in the freezer than any grand plan, but baked meatballs and roast chicken share an oven happily enough. The rice needed to be something with enough heat and acidity to stand up to two rich proteins instead of just soaking up gravy, so it went Mexican instead of the usual plain jeera rice. And the spinach and cheese bake is there to round the whole plate out — it’s rich on its own, but next to chicken and frikadelle it reads as the vegetable course, which is doing it a favour. Writing all four down together since they were cooked together and the timing is half the trick.

Creamy Potato Salad for the Braai

cw@wagner.org.za (Chrisando Wagner) — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Peri-peri chicken and spicy boerewors do a lot of the work on a braai plate, so the potato salad’s job is to cool things down, not compete for attention. This version leans on mayo and a spoon of mustard for tang, boiled egg for richness, and just enough crunch from celery and spring onion that it doesn’t turn into mash by the time it’s dished up. Boil the potatoes properly, dress them while they’re still warm, and it does the rest of the work on its own.

Tangy Coleslaw for the Braai

cw@wagner.org.za (Chrisando Wagner) — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Most coleslaw at a braai is an afterthought — a tub of the sweet, mayo-heavy stuff sitting next to the meat doing nothing for it. I want the opposite: something sharp enough to cut through grilled spicy boerewors and peri-peri chicken, not compete with it for richness. This version is vinegar-forward with a spoon of Dijon for backbone, just enough mayo to bind it, and it holds up sitting out on a table in the sun for a couple of hours, which the mayo-loaded versions don’t.