Ingredients

Chicken

• 800g Chicken Supreme (ask your local butcher)

Brine

• 1L water (500ml heated, 500ml chilled)
• 42g Leatherwood honey
• 48g fine sea salt
• 1 lemon, quartered and deseeded
• 1 orange, quartered and deseeded
• 4-6 lemon myrtle leaves, crushed
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 spring rosemary

Sauce

• ½ onion, diced (any variety)
• 2 tbsp quince paste
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 150ml Sauvignon Blanc
• 300ml Maggie Beer chicken bone stock
• 8 sprigs thyme

Directions

1. Brine the Chicken

• Boil 500ml water with all brine ingredients (except chicken).
• Stir, remove from heat, and add the chilled 500ml water.
• Cool in the fridge until below 4°C, then add the chicken and refrigerate for 24 hrs.

2. Sear the Chicken

• Pat chicken dry. Place skin-side down in a cold, heavy pan.
• Turn heat to medium and cook for 10 mins.
• Add 100ml warm water, cover, and cook 5-8 mins more.
• Flip and cook 4-6 mins until internal temp hits 74°C. Rest for 5 mins.

3. Make the Sauce

• Add onion to the same pan. Cook for 4 mins.
• Add garlic and thyme. Cook for 2 mins until fragrant.
• Pour in wine and reduce by half.
• Add stock and quince paste, reduce by half again.
• Strain, then return to the pan and reduce to taste.

4. Serve

• Slice chicken on an angle, spoon over warm sauce, and plate with mash.

Ingredients

Eggplant & Sauce

• 6 Lebanese eggplants, halved
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 tbsp mustard oil
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• ½ brown onion, diced
• 1 green chilli, diced
• Salt, to taste

Lemon & Garlic Yoghurt

• 100ml Greek yoghurt
• 10ml lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic paste

To Serve

• Fresh coriander leaves
• Optional: flatbread or coriander chutney

Directions

1. Soak the Eggplants

• Place halved eggplants in 3 cups of water with 4 tbsp salt. Soak for 20 minutes, then remove and pat dry.

2. Make the Sauce

• In a heavy-based saucepan, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil over medium heat.
• Add diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
• Stir in green chilli, ginger paste, and garlic paste. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Add all spices and toast for 15-30 seconds.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook for another 15-30 seconds.
• Add 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. Season to taste.

3. Fry the Eggplants

• In a separate frying pan, heat 4 tbsp mustard oil on medium-high.
• Fry eggplants cut-side down until golden. Flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
  (If they're still firm, transfer to a covered dish and bake at 180°C until tender.)

4. Make the Yoghurt

• In a bowl, combine yoghurt, lemon juice, and garlic paste. Mix well and season to taste.

5. To Serve

• Spread the lemon-garlic yoghurt onto the base of a serving plate.
• Arrange the eggplants on top, spoon over the spiced tomato sauce, and garnish with fresh coriander.
• Optional: Serve with warm flatbread, simple, hearty, and full of flavour.

Ingredients

Potatoes

• 1kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5" chunks
• 120ml beef tallow
• 30ml organic vegetable oil
• Salt
• Olive oil

Thyme Pesto

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, picked and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 50g Pecorino Romano, finely grated

Directions

1. Get the Potatoes Going

• Add your prepped potatoes to a pot of cold water with 8-10 tbsp of salt.
  (The water should be a little bit salty, not quite as salty as pasta water.)
• Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to the boil.

2. Parboil Gently

• Once boiling, cook for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just fork-tender, not fully soft.

3. Rough Them Up

• Drain the potatoes into a colander.
• Split them into two batches and gently toss each batch in the colander until there's a mash-like fluff forming on the outside.
  (Don't go too hard, they'll fall apart if you get rough.)

4. Cool Them Down

• Transfer the potatoes to a wire rack and cool them in the fridge.

5. Get the Oven & Fat Ready

• Preheat your oven to 180°C fan-forced with two heavy trays inside to heat up.
• Meanwhile, heat the beef tallow and vegetable oil in a small saucepan until just smoking.

6. Coat the Potatoes

• Toss half the potatoes in a bowl with half the hot oil.
• Taste and season, then repeat with the second half.

7. Roast to Perfection

• Carefully place the potatoes onto the hot trays.
• Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, until golden and crunchy.

8. Make the Thyme Pesto

• In a bowl, mix the garlic, chopped thyme, and Pecorino.
• Once combined, slowly stir in olive oil until it loosens just enough to spoon over the potatoes.

9. Finish & Serve

As soon as those potatoes come out of the oven, toss them in a bowl with a few big spoonfuls of that thyme pesto. Give'em a good mix while they're still hot. That garlic hits the spuds and it's game over. I always end up using the whole lot. You probably will too.