Hazelnut Butter Roast Chicken

The ultimate way to elevate the classic Sunday roast and indulge! I’m always keen to confit whatever I can get my hands on. Jars of confit garlic, cherry tomatoes and artichokes adorn my shelves so when it came to reworking this Sunday staple I wanted to use this familiar method of cooking. What ensures this dish is cooked to perfection is the addition of steam throughout the cooking process meaning that while the vegetables baste in oil and butter, the chicken’s moisture is retained throughout. Through using the Miele Combination Steam Oven you won’t forfeit the crispy chicken skin either.

Method

1. Allow your chicken to come to room temperature by removing from the fridge for around 10-15 minutes before cooking.

2. Add your peeled and cut potatoes to a perforated tray and steam at 100°C for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to soften (you don’t want mush). Once steamed give them a gentle shake to bash the edges up a little and allow to rest and dry out for a further 5 minutes.

3. Opt for the combination setting and preheat to 190°C or use the automatic settings for roast chicken.

4. For the chicken combine ¾ of your butter with a little salt and carefully push beneath the skin of the chicken breast. Once evenly covered, place around 5-6 small-medium sage leaves under the skin, arranging so they lay flat. Place a quarter of the sage inside the chicken. Rub a little butter on the outside of the skin, add a sprinkle of sea salt flakes then place the chicken in a large baking tray. Scatter the steamed potatoes around the chicken then drizzle over your olive oil so all potatoes are coated. Season with salt and place in the oven to roast.

5. After 40 minutes turn the potatoes and baste both the chicken and potatoes with the oil, butter and chicken juices. You can now add in the slices of squash too and the remaining sage leaves. Make sure these are also well coated by adding in a little extra oil and large knob of butter too.

6. Roast for another 15-20 minutes depending on how big your chicken is. You can tell when the chicken is done when the juice from the thigh runs clear when pierced. It’s also worth remembering that your chicken will continue to cook when removed from the oven and resting.

7. While the chicken continues to roast and the potatoes and squash confit; you can make up your sage and nut butter (this can also be done well in advance). Simply lightly toast your hazelnuts until slightly golden then remove from the heat, bash and rub off skins if necessary then roughly chop.

8. Add your butter to a small frying pan along with the nuts and gently increase the heat, melting the butter and cooking it until it turns a light to mid golden brown. Once made you can pour over the chicken, potatoes and squash, cooking them in the butter for a further 10 minutes or until your potatoes are crisp and golden and the squash segments are soft but crisp round the edges. Remove the chicken and allow to rest (for around 10-15 minutes or longer) and give the potatoes and squash a little extra time should they need them. Make sure you generously coat everything in all the flavoured butter.

9. Finish and serve with a little freshly ground black pepper and zest of half an orange.