Roast Chicken and Fingerling Potatoes

Roast whole chicken legs and fingerling potatoes with chantenay carrots

Fingerling potatoes are perhaps most often boiled and served with a salad rather than roasted in the oven in this way. This idea did, however, work extremely well and I will definitely cook them again in this way. They took on the full flavour of the chicken and crisped up really nicely.

Fingerling potatoes are firstly halved and boiled

Ingredients per Person

3 medium sized fingerling potatoes
2 whole chicken legs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 chantenay carrots
Little bit of butter
Little bit of freshly chopped coriander/cilantro

Whole chicken legs ready for roasting

Directions

Wash or if necessary scrub the pottoes but don't peel them and cut them in half lengthways. Add them to a pot of cold, salted water and bring the water to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about ten minutes or until the skin is just beginning to separate from the flesh at the edges. Drain, allow to steam off for five minutes then cover and allow to cool while you cook the chicken legs.

Put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. Season the chicken legs on the flesh side with a little salt and pepper. Rub the skin sides of the legs with olive oil and wipe a roasting tray with a little more oil. Lay the legs skin sides up on the tray and season with a little more salt to help the skin crisp up.

Roasted whole chicken legs

Cook the chicken legs in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the juices run clear. Lift to a plate, cover and leave to rest.

Fingerling potatoes are roasted in chicken juices

Turn the oven up to 450F/220C/Gas Mark 8. Turn the fingerling potatoes carefully in the hot chicken juices in the tray with cooking tongs and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes until nicely crisped.

When the potatoes are in the oven, add the washed chantenay carrots to a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a simmer for about ten minutes or until just softening. Drain and return to the pot. Add a little butter and chopped coriander, swirl to coat and plate up the various components of your meal.

Fingerling potatoes removed from the oven

Sausages and Goose Fat Roasted Potatoes with Savoy Cabbage and Chantenay Carrots

Beef link sausages are served with roast potatoes, savoy cabbage and Chantenay carrots

 
Sausages of thousands of different types are popular around the world and eaten by their millions every day. Sometimes, however, we can be a bit unimaginative with what we serve along with sausages and delicious as bangers and mash can be, it can equally become a little bit repetitive after a while. This combination came about simply because I had the savoy cabbage and the Chantenay carrots in the fridge requiring to be used up and it proved to be even more delicious than I had hoped.

Fingerling potatoes are parboiled before they are roasted

Ingredients per Person

4 beef link sausages
Vegetable or sunflower oil
2 fingerling potatoes
2 large savoy cabbage leaves
1/2 small white onion
3 Chantenay carrots
2 tbsp goose fat
Little bit of butter
Little bit of freshly chopped coriander leaf/cilantro

Potatoes are drained and cooled before being roasted

Directions

Wash the fingerling potatoes and cut each of them in half lengthways. Put them in a pot of cold salted water, bring the water to a boil and reduce to simmer as gently as possible for eight to ten minutes. Carefully drain the potatoes and leave them to steam for a few minutes before covering them and letting them cool completely.

Spoon the goose fat in to a small, ovenproof dish and put it in to the oven while the oven preheats to 220C/450F. When the oven is heated, add the potato halves to the dish and carefully stir around in the fat with a wooden spoon, ensuring they are all completely coated. Roast in the oven for twenty minutes.

Goose fat is added to an ovenproof dish before being melted for roasting potatoes

When the potatoes are in the oven, add the sausages to a frying pan with a little vegetable or sunflower oil and fry very gently, also for twenty minutes, turning occasionally. The low heat will cook them but prevent them bursting.

The carrots should be added to a pot of seasoned cold water and brought to a simmer for ten minutes. The cabbage and onion should be shredded and sliced respectively before being added to a pot with a little oil, salt and pepper and braised over a medium heat for five to seven minutes, stirring very frequently.

Plate the sausages and the cabbage and onion. Drain the potatoes on some kitchen paper. Drain the carrots and stir them in a little butter and chopped coriander/cilantro and you are ready to finish plating.

Savoy cabbage and onion are braised in a little olive oil