Roast chicken is exactly the kind of comforting, uncomplicated meal that even the most basic of cooks can pull together. This recipe calls for chicken forequarters which is a cut where the breast and wing are connected. Here you get the best of both worlds: a sublime breast fillet to slice and enjoy plus the illicit joy of a wing to pick up and nibble on. Equally, you could use a maryland cut (drumstick and thigh connected).

Ingredients

• 2 chicken forequarters
• Olsson’s Salt Sea Salt Flakes
• freshly ground black pepper
• oil for frying
• 900g potatoes, peeled and cut to a similar size (2-3cm square approx.)
• 100g butter, cut into cubes + 20g for vegetables + 20g finishing the sauce
• 100ml cream
• handful asparagus spears, trimmed
• handful green beans, trimmed
• Olsson’s Salt Red Gum Smoked Salt
• 1 jar City Larder Madeira sauce

Method

1. Generously season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside while the oven preheats and you prepare the vegetables. In an ovenproof pan, brown off the chicken in a little oil then place the pan in the oven to finish cooking the meat through (approx. 15-20 minutes at 190 degrees).
2. To make the mashed potato, in a medium size pan cover potatoes with cold, well-salted water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat so the potatoes are just simmering. Depending on the size you’ve cut them, they’ll take 10-15 minutes to become tender.
3. Drain cooked potatoes well then return them to the still-hot pan. Cover with a cloth and over a low heat give the potatoes a couple of minutes in the pan which will drive off any excess water. Mash the potato using a ricer or traditional masher then add the butter and cream. Using a spatula, beat it well until smooth and creamy, taste and season as required.
4. Drop your trimmed green vegetables into a large pot of well-seasoned boiling water. They’ll only take a few minutes to cook. When done, remove and anoint with butter and Red Gum Smoked Salt.
5. Empty jar of Warm Madeira sauce into a small pan over a medium-low heat. When it’s relaxed (become liquid) add a knob of butter and swirl to blend; this will add a glossy finish to the sauce.

Tips

• Robbie’s preferred variety of potato for mashed potatoes is Blue Moon. King Edward or Dutch Cream are also good choices.
• It’s best to simmer (not boil) your potatoes so they don’t break apart in the water and become waterlogged.
• When trimming the asparagus, remove woody ends as well as the last few centimetres of outer skin as it can be tough.