Garlic, Lemon and Anchovy Spatchcock Chicken with Pea Shoot Sauce and Rosemary Parmesan Potatoes

Roast chicken is up there with one of my ultimate comfort food meals. But sometimes it’s nice to have a lighter version, especially in the summer. This recipe is full of freshness and in season ingredients. I’m also a big fan of spatchcocking a chicken, it’s faster, (in my opinion tastier) and means all the meat cooks at the same time and temperature so the breast stays lovely and juicy and doesn’t dry out. With a simple lemon, garlic, anchovy and herb marinade, and some roasted fennel and shallots, you get lovely chicken juices to drizzle over the top once it’s ready. A zingy green sauce made with pea shoots (a revelation and complete gamechanger), capers, lemon and plenty of fresh herbs it brings everything to life. I tried out a slightly different recipe to my usual goose fat roasties by adding a rosemary parmesan salt during the last five minutes of roasting which I am always going to do from now on. Some simple stir fried greens on the side completes this summer roast feast.

(Serves 4-5 £3.79 per portion)

1. Rougly chop a few onions or shallots and add to deep roasting tray with a roughly chopped fennel bulb and some carrots. Add a couple of garlic cloves with the skin on.
2. Spatchcock the chicken, add the backbone to the roasting tray and place the chicken on top of the veg in the tray.
3. Make the marinade by finely chopping 3 anchovies and adding to a bowl with the zest and juice of a lemon, 3 crushed garlic cloves, and a handful of chopped thyme. Add 2 tbsps of the anchovy oilalong with some seasoning, mix well and pour over the chicken. Massaging the flavours into the meat.
4. Roast the chicken for 1 hour at 180C fan. Turn the grill to medium/high and grill the chicken for the final 10 mins of cooking so the skin goes nice and crispy. Set aside to rest.
5. Meanwhile, make the pea shoot sauce. Add a couple of handfuls of pea shoots to a food processor along with a few glugs of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, a handful of mint, parsley and chives, 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 heaped tbsp capers and some seasoning. Blitz until you have a drizzling consistency.
6. Parboil 1.5kg peeled and chopped Maris Piper potatoes in well salted water for 4-5 mins. Drain well and leave to steam in the colander for 5 mins. Heat 4 tbsps of goose fat in a shallow roasting tray in the oven and shake the potatoes so the edges become fluffy. Once the fat is smoking hot, very carefully tip the potatoes into the tray and turn each one so they are well coated in the fat. Do not overcrowd the tray. Sprinkle generously with sea salt flakes and roast at 200C fan for 30 mins. Turn over after 30 mins and return to the oven for the remaining 30 mins.
7. 5 mins before the potatoes are ready, sprinkle over some grated parmesan and finely chopped rosemary.
8. Carve the chicken and serve with all the lovely resting juices and drizzle with the pea shoot sauce. Serve with some lightly stir-fried summer vegetables such as asparagus, chard and tender stem broccoli.