Confessions of a Foodie #2

In the grasp of the majority of pro cooks are a fistful of recipes that are very easy to do, and very hard to fuck up. Once mastered, a basic recipe becomes a sturdy foundation that can support all kinds of culinary wonders and whimsy. You can start jigging and re-jigging, practicing store-cupboard or seasonal sleight of hand. Tweaking and revving a recipe to increased heights of perfection or convenience. Here is one such recipe.

Now, Sammy G is a legend in the food world. She knows pro-level jiggery-pokery that yields wonderous results every time, and she’s one of the very few people involved in professional cooking who have managed to cruise past their 3rd decade in the industry without completely losing their mind. This is a recipe-in-a-paragraph, murmured over coffee and bitching one happy, work free, morning. If you want to know why it’s called Stolen Chicken then you need to find Sammy and ask her yourself.

Here it is:

Chunk up some potatoes, and take some free range chicken thighs – bone in but fat trimmed, skin slashed; add some garlic, some olive oil, and a good old season with salt and pepper. Mix them all up on a roasting tray and pop (if you're Delia), whack (Jamie), or put (a normal human being) into a 200 degree oven. When the potatoes are crispy and roasty the dish will be done. This dish can work for one and it can work for sixty. Then freestyle it – before roasting add a whole lemon and some fresh rosemary. Or olives, red onion, red pepper, capers, and balsamic. Or thyme, chilli, and anchovies. Or bashed lemongrass, ginger, and lime leaves, finishing with coriander. Or chorizo and a sh**load of parsley. You have your steady foundation; the secret is to chuck on whatever you fancy on top.