Roast Chicken and Jersey Royals with Lemon, Golden Raisins and Pine nuts. All across the fertile fields of Jersey, you can now see acres of plastic These are covering the wonderful Jersey main season potato crop. The earliest growers would have been harvesting from polytunnels and glasshouses in late February. The outdoor potato harvest lasts from early April through to June depending of course on the climate conditions. The valuable growing land here is in such short supply that the potatoes are grown and harvested on near vertical fields. But don’t worry you don’t have scramble up a cliff side as Jersey Royals are available all over the island and in supermarkets around the UK.
What makes Jersey Royals so special?
The above average temperature of Jersey, the easy draining soil and the use of the abundant local seaweed as fertilizer, all helps to shape the of this most wonderful of root crops. However, we need however to go back to 1878 ( fear not, this is only a minor historical digression and an essential part of our tale ) for the origin of the Jersey Royal or to be more precise the Jersey Royal Fluke. A pair of abnormally large potatoes were purchased and later cultivated by Hugh de La Haye. They were the forerunners of the modern Jersey potato industry. Today over 1500 tonnes a day are exported during the season’s peak and the Jersey Royal enjoys EU protected status.
The Recipe
Many purists would say that all you need to eat Jersey Royals with is lashings of Jersey’s finest butter ( I’m a big fan of Classic Herd’s ) and a generous sprinkling of Jersey sea salt. They are the perfect accompaniment to the islands finest seafood, wonderful in salads. I want, however, to suggest to you something a little different. A one tray oven-baked dish that would be perfect served with a dressed green salad and a nice cold beer. The Jersey Royals have a great texture when roasted and are perfect with the chicken. Enjoy.
Roast Chicken and Jersey Royals with Lemon, Golden Raisins and Pine nuts
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Drumsticks
- 4 Chicken Thighs
- 750 gram Jersey Royals washed and halved
- 50 gram Pine Nuts
- 50 gram Golden Raisins
- 1 Lemon sliced
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 4 cloves Garlic peeled and crushed
- A generous sprig of fresh Thyme
- 2 tablespoon quality Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons runny Honey
- ½ teaspoon ground Coriander
- A generous pinch of Saffron
- Jersey Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375 F / 190 C / Gas Mark 5.
- Place the potatoes in a large ovenproof dish and drizzle with the oil and season generously. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven for twenty minutes.
- Meanwhile, dissolve the honey in two hundred millilitres of freshly boiled water and stir in the garlic, saffron, coriander and lemon juice.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and carefully take off the foil. Add the chicken pieces and thyme, pour over the honey mixture and season again.
- Return to the oven and roast for another twenty minutes before removing from the oven and basting the chicken in any juices. Add the lemon slices, raisins and pine nuts.
- Cook in the oven for another twenty to twenty-five minutes until the chicken is cooked right through and the skin is crisp. The potatoes should also be cooked through.
- Place the dish on a heat resistant stand in the middle of the table for everyone to share.
Notes
