- 4 poussins
- 100g/3½oz button mushrooms
- 200g/7oz shallots
- 50g/2oz garlic
- 50g/2oz thyme, finely chopped
- 3 tsp breadcrumbs
- 100g/3½oz butter
- 25g/1oz pancetta
- 2 slices of pancetta for wrapping
- 100g/3½oz flat leaf parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 50g/2oz butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1kg/2¼lb potatoes eg. Jersey Royals
- 100g/3½oz pancetta, fried off and diced
- 2 tsp cornflour
- picked thyme
- 1 bunch baby carrots
- 1 bunch baby turnips
- 1 bunch baby leeks
- 100g/3½oz green beans
- To prepare the poussin, take off the legs, cut off the carcass to leave the breast on the crown. Scrape away the wishbone and trim away the wing bone.
- Take the thigh bones out of the legs and trim off the knuckle of the drumstick (you can leave the bone in, but it won t leave you much room for the stuffing).
- Leave in the fridge until ready to fill with the mushroom farce.
- For the mushroom farce, finely chop the mushrooms, shallots, pancetta and garlic.
- Fry the pancetta until the fat starts to run out on the bacon. Add the butter, garlic and shallots, cook for a few minutes and then add the mushrooms and thyme.
- Cook the mushrooms until they are soft, add the breadcrumbs and season.
- When cool fill the chicken legs. Note: The consistency should be pliable and not too crumbly and dry.
- Re-shape the legs then wrap in pancetta and secure with cocktail sticks.
- For the herb butter, blend all the ingredients together in a blender until you have a brilliant green colour.
- Lift the breast skin off the poussin and fill with the butter. Pull the skin down, season and wrap in tin foil.
- Roast the legs and breast in a moderate oven (200C/400F/Gas 6) for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. (The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part with a skewer.) Remove from the oven and set aside to rest.
- For the rösti, peel and grate the potatoes, squeeze out any excess water, then add the bacon, thyme and cornflour. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a small frying pan heat up a little oil and add the potato mix. Fry on both sides to give colour.
- For the vegetable garnish, make the emulsion by adding butter to a pan with water, heat up until the butter has melted, put to one side.
- Scrub clean all the vegetables, blanch and re-fresh in iced water.
- Top and tail the beans, blanch and re-fresh in iced water.
- Any green vegetables should be put into boiling water and then cooked. Other vegetables can be put into cold water and then brought to the boil.
- To serve, warm the chicken in the oven, eat up the vegetables in a little melted butter and warm through the rosti. Arrange neatly on the plate and garnish with watercress.