This is a fantastic recipe that has something for everyone! A great supper for all the family that really makes the most of seasonal veg!Ingredients
1 large Keith Wicks’ chicken, gizzards not needed
A small slice Trewithen butter
Small glass white wine or cold stock (home-made!)
1 tbsp olive oil or Cornish rapeseed oil
4-8 potatoes, skin on and cut to chunks, use as many as you have appetite for
1-2 lemons cut to quarter length wedges (depending on your taste, I like 2: 1 to cook, 1 to serve)
6-8 handfuls of new season veg: carrots, leeks, spring greens, wild garlic. Use it as it comes in – this is a great recipe for finger sized carrots, new season peas and beans and new potatoes
2 tbsp. pesto – this week we used a half jar of Wild Garlic pesto
Good handful of herbs and a handful of pea shoots if you have some – this week we used bay, lemon thyme, rosemary, thyme and fennel thinning's from the herb bed; roughly chop them all
TO MAKE:
Remove gizzard bag and wash chicken under cold running water in an empty sink. Transfer to a large plate while you rinse the sink in hot, soaped water. Pat dry with clean tea towel – and then put the tea towel straight to the washing machine.
Take half the butter and squidge in your hands to soften and then use your fingers to push between the breast and the skin. Sprinkle the skin liberally with Cornish sea salt and black pepper and then, using your hands, massage to cover with the rest of the butter.
Transfer to a roasting dish, surround with lemon wedges a good few cm larger than the bird and roast on Gas 6, 180-200C for a good half hour.
Bring the potatoes to boil in a large pan of salted water and boil uncovered for 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a colander and let the steam evaporate. Toss with the oil and scatter round the chicken, splashing in any remaining oil as you go. Pour wine or stock into the bottom of the dish (kind of under the chicken) and cook for at least 40 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add any carrots (finger sized left whole or cut to batons). And after 20-30 minutes add in any green veg and fresh herbs and cook for a good 10 minutes.
When the chicken juices run clear, (total cooking time approx. 1 hr 45 minutes) remove from the oven and use a wooden spoon to carefully stir the pesto through. You may want to add a splash of hot water from the kettle – the fresher the veg the less water it will hold so you will probably need about a half pint at this time of year.
Chop the herbs and scatter over the chicken along with the pea shoots, if using. Cover with a Trewithen butter wrap – butter side down – and then another layer of foil and leave for 10 minutes for the chicken to rest.
Hungry teens may want extra bread or spaghetti (dressed with lemon juice and butter) but any green veg steamed will go well, along with a lemon wedge to squeeze over.
If you have new season courgettes, cut them in half and fry them in a little oil for about 6-7 minutes. No need for salt while cooking as they are not yet holding enough water to need to dry out.