Braised chicken with mushrooms
We’ve used Swiss brown and king brown
mushrooms here because they retain a nice
al dente texture when cooked.
Prep time 15 mins, cook 1 hr
Serves 6-8
2 tbsp olive oil or lard
1 chicken (about 1.2kg), jointed
3 large golden shallots
250 ml aromatic white wine, such as pinot gris
300 gm mushrooms, such as Swiss brown
and king brown, coarsely chopped
1 rosemary sprig, plus extra to serve
2½ tbsp crème fraîche, or to taste1 Heat 2 tsp olive oil or lard in a casserole
over medium-high heat, add chicken and
brown all over (6-8 minutes), then set aside.
Add shallot to casserole and sauté until golden
brown (6-8 minutes). Deglaze casserole with
wine, scraping up the caramelised bits on the
base, then return chicken to casserole. Cover
with a lid or foil, reduce heat to low and braise,
turning chicken occasionally, until cooked
through (40-45 minutes).
2 Meanwhile, heat remaining oil or lard in
a frying pan over high heat, add mushrooms
and rosemary, and sauté until golden and tender
(2-4 minutes). Season to taste.
3 Dollop crème fraîche onto chicken and allow
it to melt down to form a sauce, moving chicken
around a little to help it meld. Check seasoning,
top with mushrooms and extra rosemary
and serve.
Wine suggestion Classic chardonnay or pinot
noir, or both.Hasselback potatoes
These potatoes are a bit more time-consuming
to prepare than simple roast spuds, but they look
impressive and get lovely and crisp on the base,
the pancetta fat melting into the layers and adding
delicious salty-pork flavours.
Prep time 20 mins, cook 1 hr
Serves 6-8
6-8 Desiree or red rascal potatoes (180gm
each), peeled
6-8 very thin pancetta slices (see note), torn
into thin strips
2 tsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp olive oil1 Preheat oven to 180C. Thinly slice potatoes
crossways just short of cutting through the base.
A ruler placed on either side of the potato helps
prevent the knife going all the way through.
Gently press strips of pancetta and thyme
between the slices at regular intervals (any
pancetta sticking out too far may burn, so tear
into smaller pieces).
2 Place potatoes cut-side up in a roasting pan,
drizzle with oil and season to taste with salt and
freshly ground black pepper. Roast potatoes,
turning once and scattering with remaining
thyme towards end of cooking, until cooked
through and golden brown (45 minutes to 1 hour).
Serve hot.
NoteThe pancetta slices need to be very thin
to fit between the potato slices; have it sliced
so you can almost see through the fat.>CHICKEN & POTATOES
Vase from Urban
Couture. Plates (stacked)
from Luna Ceramics.
Jeremy Simons side plate
(far right) from Slip
Ceramics. Bowl (with
potatoes) from Studio
Enti. Cutipol cutlery
from Francalia. Dark
tumblers from Hay. De
Le Cuona “Liquid” velvet
from Boyac. Marble dish
(with salt) from The
Design Hunter. All other
props stylist’s own.
Stockists p175.