Roast chicken with chips and béarnaise sauce

This is a take on chicken and chips using two cooking methods.

SERVES 4

FOR THE CHICKEN

* 1 large (1.5-2kg) chicken, cut into 1 crown and 2 legs (see Step 1 below)

FOR THE BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS

* 2 whole chicken legs, from the chicken

* 20 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

* 1 tarragon sprig (from the bunch, below)

* 1 parsley sprig

* 2 bay leaves

* 150ml dry white vermouth or white wine

* Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

* 6 celery sticks, roughly chopped

* 2tbsp olive oil

FOR THE ROAST CHICKEN CROWN

* 1 chicken crown, from the chicken

* 100g butter, softened

* 2-3tbsp chopped parsley

* 1 tarragon sprig (from the bunch, below), leaves removed and chopped

FOR THE CHIPS

* 8 baby new potatoes (use a waxy variety), scrubbed but skin left on

* Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

* Salt & vinegar seasoning (see right)

FOR THE BÉARNAISE SAUCE

* 250g butter

* 150ml dry white wine

* 1 banana shallot, chopped

* 3 white peppercorns

* 3 medium free-range egg yolks

* 1 bunch of tarragon, chopped

* Juice of 1 lemon

1 To prepare the chicken, gently push down on its backbone to flatten a little and loosen up the joints. Hold one of the wings and bend it back. Using a sharp knife, cut the skin and tendons along the wing bone; do this to both wings until separated. Bend the thighs and legs backwards to pop the joint. Then slice the skin connected to the meat and bone. Carefully pull the leg from the bones without losing the oyster that’s attached. Turn the leg over so you can see the bone connecting the thigh and leg, and cut straight through so the leg and thigh separate. Do this on both sides. Locate the centre breastbone and run the knife along the side of the bone from the top to the bottom of the breast until it’s separated and removed. Do this on both sides.

2 Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 3. Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. Place in a lidded ovenproof casserole with all the braising ingredients, and 300ml water. Cook, lid on, in the oven for 1½ hours, ensuring the legs are cooked through*.

3 To prepare the crown, spread a little butter all over the breasts, separating the skin from the flesh and smearing some butter under the skin. Season the skin with salt and pepper. Stuff the remaining butter and herbs inside the chicken cavity. When the legs have been cooking for about 50min, put the crown in a roasting tin and cook in the oven for about 40min, or until cooked through. At the end of cooking time, set aside to rest for at least 20min (no need to rest the legs).

4 While the chicken is cooking, make the chips. Cut potatoes lengthways into thin slices about 1mm thick. Drop the slices into a bowl of cold water to remove excess starch. Soak for 10min. Drain, put the slices on a baking tray lined with paper towels and pat dry.

5 To fry the chips, use a deep-fat fryer at 180°C, or half-fill a deep, heavy-based pan with the oil over a medium-high heat. Deep-fry the chips in batches until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a baking tray lined with paper towels. Sprinkle the chips with the salt and vinegar seasoning (see below) and keep warm until serving.

6 For the sauce, heat the butter in a pan over a medium-high heat until butter turns hazelnut brown and smells nutty. Keep swirling the pan as the butter cooks to prevent burning. Set the browned butter aside to reach room temperature but don’t let it harden.

7 In a separate small pan over a medium-high heat, heat the wine with the shallot and peppercorns for 2-3min. Transfer to a food processor then add the egg yolks, tarragon and lemon juice and whizz. Slowly pour in the browned butter, whizzing between additions, until the sauce thickens to a silky texture.

8 To serve, split the crown down the middle into two breasts, cut the legs into thighs and drumsticks, and arrange on a warmed platter, with the chips and the béarnaise sauce.

SALT & VINEGAR SEASONING

Make the seasoning the day before. Mix 3tbsp fine salt, 2tbsp malt vinegar and ½tbsp cornflour. Spoon in a thin layer onto a piece of baking paper and leave overnight, uncovered at room temperature, to harden. The next day, crush to a fine powder and store in a jar at room temperature.