by Diana Henry from ‘From Oven to Table: Simple dishes that look after themselves’ (Mitchell Beazley)
The work here is done in about eight minutes flat and the end result is totally moreish. I cook this a lot. You need to toss the elements around a few times during the cooking – to make sure the cauliflower colours all over – but that’s it. Add red onion wedges, too, if you want. ’Nduja is a spicy, spreadable Calabrian salami; get it online or from good Italian delis.
Photography & Styling, Caroline Marson
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 good-sized skin-on bone-in
chicken thighs, excess skin neatly trimmed
1 medium cauliflower, broken into florets
450g (1lb) baby waxy potatoes, scrubbed, then halved or quartered, depending on size
75g (23Ž4oz) ’nduja, broken into nuggets
6 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
green salad, or bitter leaves, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6.
Put all the ingredients in a roasting tin or a broad, shallow casserole about 30cm (12in) across, season and toss around with your hands.
The chicken should finish skin side up.
Make sure the nuggets of ’nduja aren’t lying on top, or they’ll burn.
Roast for 40–45 minutes, turning everything over about 3 times during the cooking.
The ’nduja partly melts and you need to ensure it gets well mixed in.
Towards the end of the cooking time, it’s good to spoon the bits of ’nduja over the chicken, as it gives it a lovely colour.
The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a sharp knife and the chicken cooked through.
Serve with a green salad or bitter leaves.
Nigel's Drink Choices;
Off-Tempo 03_19 Tropical IPA from Bad Co., soft drink Upstream Grapefruit & Bergamot Sparkling Water
