seasonal

Roast Chicken with Wild Garlic Butter & Jerusalem Artichokes

March 05

This wild garlic butter roast chicken feels like an early whisper of spring. Jerusalem artichokes, another Irish winter staple, roasting them with garlic and rosemary gives you crisp edges and creamy centres, and finishing with soft garlic and parsley makes the dish feel genuinely seasonal.

Serves 4
1 hour 45 minutes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 4
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and place a large handful of ice into a bowl of cold water ready to blanch your wild garlic leaves.
3. Now, place the leaves into the boiling water for 5–10 seconds and immediately transfer to the ice bath to stop them cooking any further.
4. Squeeze any excess water from the leaves and lightly pat dry then place into a mini blender and add the softened butter, the zest of a lemon and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Blitz until smooth and green then set aside.
6. Ease the chicken skin away from the flesh using your fingers and push most of the butter under the skin then spread the rest on top to coat. Place the zested lemon into the cavity along with 1 half of the head of garlic and season the chicken skin with a little salt and pepper.
7. Roast the chicken for approximately 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes, until fully cooked and golden and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
8. Soak the artichokes in cold water for 20 mins or so to loosen any dirt, then scrub them with a scourer, being sure to remove any grit. Halve the small ones and quarter the bigger ones, and put them in a roasting tin with the remaining half of the garlic bulb, the shallots and the rosemary. Add a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper then roast for 45-50 mins until tender inside and crispy outside.
9. To finish, squeeze the softened garlic cloves from their skins and toss with the roasted artichokes, along with the butter and chopped parsley.
10. When the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving and arranging on a serving platter. Spoon over the buttery juices from the bottom of the pan and squeeze over any juice remaining in the lemon then serve alongside the roasted Jerusalem artichokes and a fresh green salad.

Small handful of wild garlic leaves, thoroughly washed

10½ tbsp butter

1 lemon

1 whole free-range chicken, about 3 lb 8 oz – 4 lb

1 head garlic, halved

Sea salt and black pepper

1 lb 12 oz Jerusalem artichokes

3 shallots, peeled and halved

4 sprigs rosemary

Small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Green salad leaves, to serve