Tarragon chicken with celeriac mash
One thing that really irritates – OK, there are many things, it’s called getting old – is the price we have to pay in the supermarket for those little packets of forced herbs that taste of practically nothing. But what do you do? You need basel, tarragon, whatever, in January so you stump up the cash and mutter under your breath. The answer, we hear you say, is to be seasonal and not buy them and, of course, you are absolutely right. And we do try to be seasonal but there is something about fresh herbs in cooking for which there is no substitute – even when they are crappy, overpriced packets.
So having choked to buy a packet of tarragon for the rabbit with mustard and bacon we had to have a second dish to make sure we got to use every last sprig. And since they aren’t designed to sit around for many days it had to follow the rabbit tout de suite. So this is what we cooked last night. It ticked the January New Year’s resolution, healthy-eating box too – well it did until we added the butter and cream …
We also added some dried tarragon to give the fresh a bit of a leg-up.
serves 4
- 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 200g celeriac, peeled and chopped
- 4 skinless chicken breasts
- 8 sprigs of tarragon
- dried tarragon
- 8 tbsp white wine
- salt and pepper
- butter
- creme fraiche/ cream cheese
- Dijon/ grain mustard
The recipe, from BBC Good Food, explains that “using creamy sweet potato for mash means you don’t need butter” right, and self-flagellation is good for the soul? Use butter and enjoy life we say.
Preheat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/ gas 6
Cook the sweet potatoes and celeriac together in a large pan of boiling water for about 20 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, put the chicken breasts on a large piece of baking parchment or foil. Give a light sprinkling of dried tarragon and add 2 sprigs of fresh tarragon to each, a little salt and pepper, sprinkle each with 2 tbsp of white wine and top with a small piece of butter. Fold the paper to enclose the chicken and place on a roasting tray. Cook the chicken for 25 minutes or until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer.
Take the chicken from the parcel, cover with foil and keep warm. Pour the juices from the parcel into a small pan and add some creme fraiche (or cream cheese and creme fraiche works well too), about 3 tbsp and a touch of Dijon or grain mustard. Whisk together and reheat until nice and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
When the potatoes and celeriac are cooked, drain, allow to steam dry for a few minutes then mash together or pass through a potato ricer. Mix in a good knob of butter and some black pepper.
Serve the chicken on top of the mash and pour over some sauce and serve with a green vegetable of your choice.
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