Chicken with dill and leeks
You might think this recipe comes from Scandinavia – land of dill lovers – but in fact it was inspired by a fish dish I had in Turkey, where whole fish were cooked on a bed of potatoes and dill (and a little raki). You can go the raki route if you prefer. This is a very comforting dish, but light and spring-like at the same time. You need a bit of colour, so serve it with roast tomatoes or a carrot purée. If you’re not a dill enthusiast then make this dish with parsley; it’s different, but just as good.
Ingrediënten
- 10 g ¼oz dill
- 75 g 2¾oz unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 2 kg 4lb 8oz chicken
- salt and pepper
- 1 lemon
- 500 g 1lb 2oz waxy potatoes, peeled
- 4 leeks
- 400 ml 14fl oz chicken stock
- 3 –4 tbsp dry vermouth
- 4 tbsp crème fraîche optional
Instructies
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Remove the coarser stems from the dill and set them aside.
- Take the rest of the dill – the light, leafy part – and roughly chop it.
- Mash the butter with half the chopped dill.
- Carefully lift the skin of the breast and legs and push under about half the butter (see technique for Roast chicken with mushrooms and sage butter under the skin).
- Spread the remaining butter over the bird as well and season with salt and pepper.
- Put in a roasting tin or a flame-and ovenproof dish from which you can serve the bird.
- Squeeze the lemon over, then put the shells into the cavity of the bird with the stems of the dill.
- Truss the chicken, if you like.
- Cook in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
- Slice the potatoes to about the thickness of a pound coin.
- Wash the leeks, cut off and discard most of the dark green tops and the bases.
- Chop them into 4cm (1½in) lengths.
- Wash the chunks of leek thoroughly to ensure you get rid of any soil.
- Take the chicken out of the oven and put the potatoes and leeks around it, turning to coat in the juices.
- Season.
- Heat the stock to boiling and pour it on to the vegetables with the vermouth.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and return the bird to the oven for one hour.
- The potatoes will become tender and the cooking liquid reduce significantly.
- If the vegetables haven’t absorbed all the liquid, remove the chicken to a warmed platter and insulate with foil to keep it warm.
- Set the roasting tin on the hob and boil until the liquid mostly disappears.
- You can, at this stage, add the crème fraîche (it’s entirely a matter of taste, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t).
- Heat this through – it doesn’t have to be completely mixed into the vegetables, there is a rough edge to this dish that makes it all the more satisfying.
- Check the vegetables for seasoning.
- Put the bird back on top of the vegetables, throw on the rest of the chopped dill and serve.
