Delicious UK - (08)August 2020

WHAT’SGOODSkyehasa magicalwaywithher:
lifestyle,tablesettings,flowersandofcoursethe
food– yetsheisrealandwarm,neversmug.The
bookisa windowontoherworldandwhysheloves
tocook,butit’salsopractical.Aswellasrecipes,
Skyegivesadviceonputtingtogethermenus – and
thereareready-curatedones,too.
Dappledsunlightfloodsthepagesandyouwantto
bethere,pickingjarsoffhiggledy-piggledyshelves,
helpingtochopatthetable(madefromfloorboards,
apparently,andadornedbya jugofblowsyblooms).
Skyeasksyoutoimagineyou’resittingwithher
planninga meal;thetonethroughoutisjustlikethat

• friendly.Shetalksabouttheartofsettingthe
  scene,ofnotseekingperfectionwhenpeoplecome
  over,embracinga bitofmessbutalsoplanningwhat
  tocookina waythatdoesn’tleaveyouwithtottering
  pilesofwashingupafterthelastguesthasdeparted
  (themrepleteandhappy,youwishingyouhadn’t
  usedeverypot,panandglassinthehouse).
  THERECIPESThey’rejoyfulintheireaseand
  celebrationofthebestingredients– atthebook’s
  coreisa focusoncookingseasonally,whichdictates
  simplicity.Thinkchilledalmondsouplacedwith
  garlic;spaghettiwitha lemony-creamysauce
  (onlyfivemainingredients);anabundanceofsimple
  sidedishescelebratingtomatoes,chicory,beetroot,
  artichokes,fenneland more. Every dish I tried
  workedfirsttime.
  THEPHOTOSNotonlydidSkyecreatetherecipes,
  writethewordsanddothefoodstyling,shetookall
  thephotos,too.There’sartisticfreedomhere,with
  boldswirlsofoliveoil,blossoms,dustingsofcocoa
  anddrizzlesofcream.Rawingredientsnudgeinto
  thepictures;vintagecrockery and old pans feature
  strongly– usedandloved.
  VERDICTIt’sa winner– a bookI’llturntoagainand
  again,especiallywhenfriendscomeover.Evenif
  distanced, this kind of food brings you together.

The book I’m

cooking from

COOKBOOK ROADTEST

I’vetaggedumpteenpagesinfoodwriter
SkyeMcAlpine’sinspiringnewbook,A TABLE
FORFRIENDS:THEARTOFCOOKINGFORTWO
ORTWENTY(Bloomsbury£26).I’velong
beena fanofSkye’srecipes,nottomentionher
dreamyInstagramfeed@skyemcalpine– take
a lookandyou’llsoonseewhy she has more
than 168,000 followers

THERECIPETOTRY

Aphrodite’sroastchicken

SERVES4.HANDS-ONTIME10-15MINUTES,

COOKINGTIME1 HOUR 10 MINUTES, PLUS

10 MINUTES RESTING

Thiscomesfrommymother’s

friendAphrodite:thebird

roastsona bedoffinelysliced

potatoes,whichcrisptogolden

aroundtheedgesofthetin,

whilethosedirectlyunderthe

chickenaresoftanddeliciously

imbuedwiththecookingjuices.

Thetrickistomakesureyou get

both kinds on your plate.

• 4 potatoes,sliced3-5mmthick
  (usea mandolineif youhaveone)


• 4 tbspextra-virginoliveoil


• 1 small(about1.4kg)chicken,
  preferablyorganic


• 1 lemon


• Largebunchfreshrosemary


• 2 garlic cloves (unpeeled)

1 Heattheovento200°C/180°Cfan/

gas6.Arrangethepotatoesin

a singlelayerina largeroasting

dish,overlappingthem.I dothisin

a round32cmtartetatindish,but

whateveryouhavetohandwilldo.

Drizzlewith1 tbspoftheolive oil

and season generously.

2 Setthechickeninthedish,nestled

overthepotatoes.Prickthelemon

alloverwitha forkandstuffit into

thecavityalongwithhalfthe

rosemary.Drizzletheremainingoil

overthechicken,thenrubit intothe

skinwitha generousdashofsalt.

Lightlycrushthegarlicclovesand

scatteroverthepotatoes,along

withwhat’sleftoftherosemary.

3 Puttheroastingdishintheoven

andcookfor60–70minutesuntilthe

skinofthechickeniscrispandthe

juicesrunclearwhenyoustick

a knifeintothethickestpartofthe

bird(betweenthelegandthebody).

Leavetorestfor 10 minutesbefore

carving,theneatwiththepotatoes.

PERSERVING573kcals,21gfat

(4.4gsaturated),55.8gprotein,

38gcarbs(1.7gsugars), 0.7g salt,

4.5g fibre

Visit

deliciousmagazine.

co.uktofindthe

recipeforSkye’s

flourlesschocolate,

chestnut&rosemary

cake

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 17

wish list.