Making your own spice mix is an easy way to add flavour to these potato-stuffed chicken legs.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 4 chicken legs, thigh and drumstick attached together, thigh boned out
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled, mashed
- 60g butter, diced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 3 tsp curry powder. Suggested blend: 1 tsp coriander seeds whole, 1 tsp nigella seeds whole, ½ tsp cumin seeds whole, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Small handful of curly parsley, chopped
- Some light olive oil
- 3 medium sized carrots, peeled, topped and tailed
- 1 tin butter beans, drained, discarding any loose bean skins
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Sea salt to taste
- Chives, finely sliced to garnish
Method
1. Set your oven to 180C, gas mark 4.
2. Bone out the thigh bone from each of the legs, or ask your butcher to do it. Set aside.
3. Make a champ mash with the potatoes: melt 40g of the butter in a small pan then add the sliced spring onions, curry powder, mix well and stir into the mashed potato. Set aside.
4. Spoon about one tablespoon of the potato mix into a thigh, then fold over the skin and secure in place with two or three cocktail sticks. Repeat for the other three thighs.
5. Grab a sauté or fry pan, add the remaining butter about 20g, a splash of light olive oil, place onto a low to medium heat, after a minute, pop in all the four stuffed chicken legs. Cook gently for about four to five minutes, then turnover each leg and pop the pan into your oven and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes until just done. Remove from the oven and allow to rest.
6. Meanwhile, pop the peeled carrots onto a square of foil, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle of salt, wrap up and cover completely with the foil, making a closed parcel and place into the oven, beside the fry pan should be fine.
7. After about 15 to 18 mins, the carrots should be done and just soft. Remove from the oven, place into a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste along with the butter beans, lemon juice and about two teaspoons of the light olive oil. Season to taste, set aside.
Assembly:
Remove the cocktail sticks from each leg. Pop a generous serving spoon of the puree on to four warmed plates, pop a chicken leg on, spoon over any cooking juices, then sprinkle with the chopped chives. Enjoy!
