Claxton Grove Maple Chicken Roast

Only a couple of weeks ago, London was knee-deep in 10 inches of snow, apparently the most we've seen in a decade. Now that we're finally at the tail end of a freezing winter, what better than an anytime-roast to anticipate Easter? A variation of traditional Chicken roast, this recipe adds some warm Spring sweetness - with lemons, walnuts and maple syrup. A milk rich, garlic-buttered, red Rooster potato mash with skins on makes for a great side dish. As does a cresty parsley and tomato salad. Ah...the light aroma of sunshine and freshly cut grass isn't so long away.

Ingredients
Serves 4


Claxton Grove Maple Chicken Roast :
1 medium free-range chicken
4 Tbs toasted walnuts
4 Tbs unsalted butter
10 sprigs parsley
1 clove finely chopped garlic
2 Tbs corn oil
1/2 lemon, quartered
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Rooster Red Mash:
5 'Rooster' red skin potatoes, washed & dried
4 Tbs whole milk
2 cloves garlic
4 Tbs unsalted butter
2 tsp Blütenzauber Salz
(*Sea salt & floral herb mix. Commonly found in German bio markts, though Fleur du Sel, or "Flour of Salt", is a good alternative)

Tomato & Parsley Salad:
3 large vine tomatoes
Large bowl of parsley, finely chopped
1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Dash of black pepper

1 Pre-heat oven to 190 deg. celcius. Blitz the walnuts, parsley, garlic, butter, salt and black pepper in a food processor until you obtain a fine spread. Gently loosen the skin over the chicken breasts by sliding your finger gently between meat and skin. Stuff the spread beneath the skin. Stuff lemons inside chicken. Place the chicken in a pan, pop into the oven and leave to roast for 2 hrs. Baste with chicken drippings every 1/2 hr. In the final 20 minutes of roasting, glaze with golden maple-syrup.

2 Slice the red potatoes into quarters. Boil for 20-25 mins then drain. Infuse butter with garlic over a medium heat for about 7-9 minutes to obtain garlic butter. Mash the potatoes in the pot, adding milk, Blütenzauber Salz and garlic butter.

3 Finely chop the parsley and potatoes. Season with lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Plate the roast chicken together with the mash and tomato-parsley salad. Serve up with a glass of Rosé.