Clodagh's Friday Night Roast Chicken
With mustard and tarragon, roasted sweet potatoes and butternut squash and creamed spinach
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole chicken (1.5kg)
70g butter, softened
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped, plus a small bunch for the cavity of the chicken
12 shallots, peeled
4 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 small butternut squash, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the creamed spinach
50g butter
500g resh spinach
150ml cream
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
METHOD:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C (fan)/Gas 6.
In a small bowl mix together the butter, Dijon mustard and chopped tarragon using the back of a spoon.
Place the chicken on a roasting tray and season the cavity with salt and pepper, and place a small bunch of tarragon in the cavity. Smear the mustard and tarragon butter all over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the peeled shallots and split garlic around the chicken, and cook in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes,
Cut the butternut squash and sweet potatoes into wedges, and toss in one tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the oven 40 minutes after it has been cooking, baste it in the juices and arrange the butternut squash and sweet potatoes around the roasting dish and return it to the oven.
While the chicken and vegetables are roasting make the creamed spinach. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, and then add the spinach, bit by bit, and keep stirring until it is wilted. Then pour in the cream, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Str and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
Carve the chicken, and serve on a warmed platter with the vegetables and a warmed bowl of the creamed spinach alongside it.Watch Clodagh Make this Here
