Roast spatchcocked chicken with saffron, herbs and chicken-juice potatoes

 Serves 4

For the marinade

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1 ½  tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus a few extra sprigs

120ml extra-virgin olive oil

a generous pinch of saffron, chopped, or chilli flakes

finely grated zest and juice of  1 lemon

freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken and potatoes

1 free-range chicken

700g new potatoes

 1. Place all the marinade ingredients plus 2 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

2. Now, spatchcock the chicken. Place the bird breast-side down on a chopping board with the legs towards you. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut along each sides of the parson’s nose, through the ribcage and to the other end of the bird. Remove the backbone and reserve for stock or freeze until you’re ready to use it. Turn the chicken over and press down with the heel of your hand to flatten.

3. Place the chicken in a non-metallic shallow bowl large enough for it to lay flat, pour over three-quarters of the marinade and massage in well all over.  With the bird skin-side down, cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour, ideally overnight.

4. Heat the oven to 200°C. If you want to roast the chicken over the potatoes (the spuds stay slightly crisper this way) have 2 oven racks ready: one for the tray of potatoes and another for the chicken.

5. Place the potatoes in a roasting tray large enough for them to sit in a single layer. Toss with the remaining marinade. Now, either place the chicken directly on top of the potatoes, skin-side up OR sit the chicken on the top rack skin-side up and the tray of potatoes on the rack underneath (be sure to place it directly under so as to catch all the juices).

6. Roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until the chicken juices run clear when you pierce the flesh between the thigh and the breast with a knife. Serve with the lemony pan juice spooned over and some garlicky mayo/aioli on the side, and some greens.

Roast new potato salad with artichokes, asparagus, beans and pesto

How’s about this to go with your weekend BBQ? Roasted new potato salad with artichokes, peas and asparagus tossed with wild garlic pesto and a little bit of good mayo. We ate it last night with a side of BBQ salmon, and it’s got to be one of the best meals of Spring. The salad is adaptable, but do use new potatoes as they’re just so good at this time of the year. Substitute the vegetables with whatever you have. A dear friend gave me a bag of globe artichokes this week that worked brilliantly with the asparagus and peas (I used frozen but pop some fresh ones if you can find them). I’ve made versions of this before with green beans, and I mostly use salsa verde in the sauce. In various guises this is a regular on my table over the summer.

To serve 4 - 6 as a side

Ingredients

750g new potatoes

a good splash of olive oil

3 good tablespoons (or however much you want really) of salsa verde or pesto

1 dessertspoon good quality mayonnaise (optional)

3 good handfuls of lightly cooked spring vegetables such as asparagus (trimmed and cut in half), green beans (trimmed and cut in half), peas (fresh or frozen), globe artichoke

lemon juice

salt and pepper

fresh basil or mint (optional)

1. Place the potatoes in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. I used Pomora lemon oil, which is lovely, but standard olive oil is fine. Blast in a hot oven until burnished and tender, about 45 minutes at 180C.

2. While the potatoes are doing their thing, lightly cook your vegetables in salted boiling water. Be particularly careful not to overcook asparagus - it is the deity of spring vegetables! - 7 minutes should do it, but check at the 5 minute mark. Drain well and et aside.

3. As soon as the potatoes are done, leave them in the roasting tray and lightly crush with a potato masher - don’t turn them into mashed potato, you just want to open them up a bit to absorb the sauce. Add the salsa verde or pesto and gently toss to coat.

4. Add the vegetables and the mayo (if using) and gently stir to combine. Add a scoop more sauce or mayo if you need more to coat all the vegetables generously.

5. Season with salt and pepper and a spritz of lemon juice if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature, scattered with torn mint and basil if you have some available.