Balsamic Chicken with Parmesan and Spinach Mashed Potatoes

From issue #7.
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Balsamic Chicken with Parmesan and Spinach Mashed Potatoes

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken supremes – breast with wing attached, skin on
2 tablespoons olive oil
50 grams butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
250 mls chicken stock
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
zest of 2 lemons
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Potatoes
1 kilo floury potatoes, eg Agria
500 grams spinach, washed and dried
½ cup hot milk
½ cup finely grated parmesan
50 grams butter

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, drop in the butter and when sizzling add the chicken and brown it on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate, season and set aside. Pour off any excess fat, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the garlic and rosemary and sauté for one minute. Add the stock, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and lemon zest and bring to the boil.

Put the chicken back in the pan, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn the chicken over, add the sultanas and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and taste for seasoning. If the pan juices are too thin, remove the chicken and boil the liquid until syrupy.

Potatoes: Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks. Cook in boiling, salted water until tender and drain well. Put them back in the pot and place over a low heat to drive off any moisture. Mash them or press through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Wilt the spinach over high heat in a saucepan. Drain, squeeze out
the excess liquid and roughly chop. Stir the spinach, hot milk, parmesan and butter into the potatoes and season well.

To serve: Divide the potatoes between serving plates. Cut each piece of chicken in half, arrange on top of the potatoes and spoon over the sauce. Serves 6