I spoke to Beth, the youth worker at the church, last night and she was really enthusiastic about this blog although she doesn’t like salmon – so this little recipe of my Dad’s is especially for her….
Chicken Tarragon
for 2
2 Chicken breasts
French dijon mustard (the light brown smooth kind)
Fresh tarragon leaves (you can use dried too but fresh herbs are always more aromatic)
Olive oil
If using fresh tarragon, chop the leaves to bruise them and release the flavour.
Mix the tarragon together 2-3 teaspoons of the mustard and a tablespoon of olive oil until you make a paste.
Using a brush, a spoon or just your hands, coat the chicken with the mustard tarragon paste, place in a covered bowl in the fridge and leave to marinade. My Dad often does this at lunchtime in time for dinner or even the night before.
When ready to cook, heat the grill and place the chicken on the grill pan. I find with grilling it does well to stay by the grill and keep an eye on the meat to make sure it doesn’t burn. I would cook the meat for maybe 5-7 minutes each side and continue to grill each side until you’re sure it is cooked. Chicken is lethal if not properly cooked so make sure the flesh is white and firm – if it looks at all pink or jelly-like, you need to keep cooking it!
The chicken is best served with fresh green salad leaves and chips:
The best chipped potatoes
for 2
3-4 large good quality pommes de terre (Maris Piper, King Edwards)
olive oil
salt
Peel and cut the potatoes into chip lengths and place in a pan of salted water.
Put the oven on at gas mark 6-7 and in a roasting tin add a glug of olive oil. Place the tin in the warming oven to heat up.
Bring the pan to the boil and as it reaches boiling point, turn off the heat and drain the potatoes.
Fetch the tin from the oven and tip the drained potatoes into the tin – watch out for spitting oil as it is hot oil. Turn the potatoes over and round in the tin with a wooden spoon to make sure they are coated with oil.
Put the potaoes in the oven to roast for 40 minutes or so. Open the oven and give the tin a shake every so often to make sure they cook on all sides.
These are the best chips ever ! And because only a small amount of oil is used, they’re better for you than the deep fried variety.
