Seasonal local food recipe No.261 – Yotam’s roasted chicken with Jerusalem artichoke and lemon
If you don’t know what to do with Jerusalem artichokes try this dish. You need to prepare it ahead of time as it requires at least 2 hours marinating in the fridge though overnight is better. It is taken from Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Jerusalem and he suggests serving it with mejadra, a rice and lentil dish, though this weekend we are going to try it with new potatoes and a green salad.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
450g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm wedges lengthways
3 Tbs lemon juice
8 chicken thighs
12 banana shallots, peeled and cut in half lengthways
12 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 lemon, cut in half lengthways and then thinly sliced
1 tsp saffron threads
50ml olive oil
150ml cold water
1 1/2 Tbs pink peppercorns, slightly crushed
10g fresh thyme leaves
40g tarragon leaves, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Method
Put the Jerusalem artichokes in a pan, cover with plenty of water and half the lemon juice, Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until tender but not soft. Drain and leave to cool.
Place the Jerusalem artichokes and all the remaining ingredients, excluding the remaining lemon juice and half the tarragon in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix everything together well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 240°C/ Gas Mark 9. Arrange the chicken pieces, skin-side up in the centre of a roasting tin and spread the remaining ingredients around the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Cover the tin with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. At this point the chicken should be completely cooked. Remove from the oven and add the reserved tarragon and lemon juice. Stir well, season to taste and serve.
