ROAST CHICKEN WITH PRUNE, SAGE AND BRIOCHE STUFFING

Preparation time 45 mins Cooking time 21/4 hours Serves 4

1.6 to 1.8kg whole chicken

1 brown onion, cut into thick rings

4 stalks celery

200ml verjuice or white wine Olive oil

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

12 long, thin slices pancetta

STUFFING

300g pitted prunes, roughly chopped

200ml water

50g unsalted butter

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely sliced, plus extra 1 clove, halved

1 brown onion, diced

1/2 bunch sage, leaves picked

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and torn

80g pistachio kernels, lightly crushed 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup finely grated parmesan

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp onion powder

150g sliced sourdough bread, toasted

300g stale brioche, toasted

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

GRAVY

80g unsalted butter, chopped

2 Tbsp plain flour

150ml white wine

4 sprigs sage

STEP 1 Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced (220°C conventional).

STEP 2 To make the stuffing, put chopped prunes and water in a small saucepan on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

STEP 3 Melt butter and oil in a medium frying pan on medium heat. Cook garlic and onion for 3 minutes until golden. Add sage and parsley, and cook for 3 minutes to soften, then add crushed pistachios and half of the prunes. Put in a bowl and set aside to cool. When cooled, mix in egg, parmesan, mustard and onion powder.

STEP 4 Rub toasted sourdough with extra garlic, then tear both sourdough and brioche into chunks, add to prune mixture and season.

STEP 5 Dry chicken cavity with paper towel and, using your hands, fill the cavity with the stuffing, making sure to fit in as much as possible.

STEP 6 Arrange onion rings and celery stalks in base of a roasting tray. Place chicken on top. Pour over verjuice and rub with oil, then season. Cover with baking paper and foil. Roast for 30 minutes, then uncover, lay pancetta slices across top of the chicken, slightly overlapping them, and roast for a further 1 hour and 20 minutes (if pancetta starts to colour too much, lay a piece of foil loosely just over the top).

STEP 7 Remove chicken from oven and rest for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan, and strain and reserve pan juices (don’t wash the pan). Discard onion and celery.

STEP 8 To make the gravy, put roasting pan on medium heat and melt butter. Mix in flour and scrape and stir the caramelised bits from the pan. Stir in white wine, bring to a simmer and add reserved pan juices. Stir in sage and remaining chopped prunes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season.

STEP 9 Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy on the side.