Spring Chicken

My mother in law has an amazing way with a leg of lamb: it’s roasted in the big shallow roasting tin that all ovens have, on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes and onions. You know how everyone fights over the bits that stick to the bottom of a pan? This is a whole dish of that more-ishness. 

But on a sunny weekday evening, I didn’t feel like roasting a leg of lamb. Yet those potatoes were calling to me…

So here is a faster version, with boneless chicken thighs (my favourite cut of chicken, after the wings of course)

Spring Chicken on Stuck Spuds (has a certain je ne sais quoi this name, doesn’t it?) 

For 4 people (with some leftovers)

Pre-heat oven to 225C (I roasted a halved aubergine for 30 minutes while pre-heating)

Marinate 12 chicken pieces (here boneless skinless thighs) for however long you can (minimum 1 hour) in:

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp zaatar (or oregano)

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 grated garlic cloves

3 tbsp olive oil 

In the roasting tin, mix:

2 large potatoes (skin on), very thinly sliced (I use a mandolin on thinnest setting)

3 large carrots (prepared ditto)

1 large onion (ditto)

2 tsp veg stock powder (I like Marigold)

50 ml of water

Spread it out over the whole tin!

When the chicken has marinated, pop the tin with the vegetables in the hot oven for 15 minutes. 

Then lower the temperature to 180-200 C, place the marinated chicken on the veggies and return to the oven for 30-40 minutes. Check the chicken is not only cooked through, but a bit charred (the honey does that) and that the veg are cooked through and sticking to the tin. 

The aubergine? I scooped out the flesh, chopped it and mixed it with olive oil, fresh coriander and some diced cherry tomatoes. Perfect as an accompanying dip. 

Even my veg-reluctant Miss C cleaned up her plate! Results!