Written by Karen Watts
Roast Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic photography by Chris Watts
“Selfies” by Phil and Pete
On Saturday afternoon just gone my friend and regular island visitor swam the London Triathlon to raise money for Sliver Line. His training here in Rhodes Town obviously paid off. He did his part in a personal best record time of 33.04 minutes and raised a massive £815.00 – 203% more than his target. We all say “Bravo!” And if you are as impressed as I am his justgiving page is still open: Just Giving
By contrast VLK owners Phil and Pete went to London this weekend to party. Not only party but eat! And not just eat any old where – http://www.stpancraslondon.com – the restaurant there is the current haunt of one of my all time favourite chefs – Marcus Wareing. The Gilbert Scott Cocktail Bar and Restaurant http://www.thegilbertscott.co.uk (where they a enjoyed three course Sunday roast and delicious red wine) was an instant hit with Phil and Pete and they plan to return…
As I couldn’t be in London to either cheer my friend Chris on, nor eat Marcus Wareing dishes, I decided to make one of my favourite Marcus Wareing recipes instead:
Roast Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
1 Large Bunch of Fresh Thyme
1 Large Bunch of Fresh Rosemary
1 Large Chicken
1 Head of Garlic. cut crossways in half
40 Cloves of Garlic, unpeeled
A Few Bay Leaves
Olive Oil
1 Kos Lettuce, halved lengthways (Wareing uses 2 Little Gems which were not available here)
200 ml Hot Chicken Stock, preferably home made
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
(I also added 1 Large Potato, peeled and cubed as us skinny people needs our carbs!)
Heat the oven to 160°.
Push half the thyme and rosemary inside the cavity of the chicken, then put the chicken in a roasting dish. Surround with all of the garlic, the bay leaves and the remaining thyme and rosemary. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and season well. Roast for 1 hour.
Add the potatoes, lettuce and stock to the dish and baste the chicken well, then roast for another hour. Cover with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
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