Merquen Especial

Serves 4-6

Merquen Especial is a hot Chilean spice that can be used both as a rub and as an ingredient. This is a flavour filled roast dinner that takes time but generally has no leftovers.

Ingredients

Corn Fed Chicken

Olive Oil

Baby Roma Tomatoes

Rocket Leaves

Garlic Aioli

Pumpkin

Mashing Potatoes

Garlic/Butter

Vegetable Oil

Milk

My Souk Drawers Merquen Especial

Chicken Stock

Flour

White Wine

Method

With kitchen scissors cut the backbone from the corn fed chicken and butterfly. Rub the skin with olive oil (in this case infused with wild limes), and sprinkle sparingly with the Merquen Especial. Leave uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours. This will help crisp the skin.

Turn on the oven to 120 degrees Celsius and roast the chicken (with wing tips folded under) on a rack above a shallow water bath for 3 & 1/2 hours. 2 hours into the roasting, put a tray of oiled pumpkin onto the top shelf. After another hour boil the potatoes till soft.

After 3 & 1/2 hours turn up the temperature to 210 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes and at the same time put the baby tomatoes into the pumpkin tray. Turn off the oven and remove the chicken from the roasting dish and transfer to a roasting tray, putting it back into the oven while you make the Pure Picante and the gravy.

In the roasting dish over a low heat, de-glaze the pan with white wine then add crushed garlic and a good tablespoon of butter. Mix this with 2-3 teaspoons of Merquen Especial, chicken stock and then sprinkle on flour to thicken.

At the same time mash the potatoes with another tablespoon of garlic butter, a few splashes of vegetable oil, 2-3 teaspoons of Mequen Especial and a splash of milk. Plate this spicy mash as a base for the roast chicken and gravy. On a bed of Rocket place the roasted tomato with garlic aioli and similarly the roast pumpkin with aioli.

Enjoy

Ingredients: