a winter walk & a winter salad.

10 February 2012

winter walk in town.

After a chilly winter day, there is nothing like a cozy dinner. For Christmas, Jediah got me Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook, Jamie's Great Britain. This recipe takes a roasted chicken to whole new place, by making it into a salad, with green beans, croutons, bacon (or in my case turkey bacon) & cherry tomatoes. It is really lovely, filling & the leftovers make GREAT chicken salad the next day (just take out the croutons & add a little vegenaise).

This salad would be a great dinner party meal. It is luxurious all out on a platter, but tasty & homey. 

epic roast chicken salad.

serves 6

for the roast chicken:

olive oil

free-range chicken

sea salt & cracked pepper

a handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked

1 lemon, halved

400g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bulb of garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil all over the clean chicken. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Scatter with the thyme & put the lemon in the cavity with the thyme stocks.
2. Pop the chicken into a large roasting tray & roast for 1 hr. 
3. Half way through...mash up garlic in a mortar & pestle, discarding skins. Throw garlic & tomatoes into the roasting pan. Slush it all around. Continue cooking chicken for the last half hour or until golden & juices form the thigh run clear.  
4. Transfer chicken to a plate & cover with foil to cool a bit.
5. Then take two forks, strip the meat off the bones & pile into a large bowl & drizzle some of the resting juices over the meat. 

for the salad:

1 country loaf, torn into crouton sized bits

6 slices of turkey bacon (Jamie used pork bacon)

a handful of green beans, topped

1. In the roasting tray, toss bread in with the tomatoes & cooking juices. Lay the bacon over the bread & continue to bake for 15-20 minutes until everything is golden, crispy & gorgeous.
2. Cook the green beans in salted boiling water for 5-6 minutes; then drain. Add to the bowl of shredded meat. 

for the dressing:

5-6 TBL olive oil

1 TBL wholegrain mustard

a few swigs cider vinegar

a bunch of parsley, chopped

6 scallions, chopped

1. Combine with chicken & green beans in a bowl. Use your hands to really cover everything. Adjust if you need to.
2. Tip all the goodness from the baking tray into the bowl. Toss. Put on a serving platter & serve in the middle of the table. 

happy eatings & cheers!