Roast chicken salad (or, just a good way to use up leftovers) and some more weekly eats
The last time I wrote, I happened to mention a roast chicken was potentially in my future. That came true, which makes me happy because there are few things less satisfying than putting a nice roast in the oven and pottering about your Sunday while the house fills with savoury and herb-tinged scents. I have two go-tos for my roast chicken, both of which I can heartily recommend – Nigel Slater’s classic from his book Appetite, and Recipe Tin Eats’ lemon and herb roast chicken.
Monday night was therefore blessed with a generous amount of roast chicken leftovers and I always like to do my favourite simple salad of greens, potatoes and leftover roast chicken with this. Only one pot, one bowl and it takes less than 20 minutes from stove to table – a welcome change after the many dishes from a roast the night before! My roast chicken salad serves two and it’s very simple to make (after all, you’ve done all the hard work earlier, roasting the chicken).
To make this, first bring a pan of water to the boil and cook 8-10 small, halved gourmet or baby potatoes until fork-tender (about 15 minutes, but check). 12 minutes into cooking, add one cup of sliced green beans to the pot. While the potatoes and beans cook, add half a cup of plain yoghurt, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of both Dijon mustard and olive oil to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Once the potatoes and beans are cooked, tip them out into a colander to drain. While they drain, add one cup of chopped spinach and 2 cups of leftover roast chicken to the bowl and coat in the dressing (I prefer to reheat my chicken before adding, but this is also nice if the chicken is cold, it’s up to you). Add the beans and potatoes to the bowl and stir to combine and coat all ingredients in the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and eat immediately.
Other deliciousness from my week included a visit to the House of Good Fortune cafe and coffee roastery in Petone, Lower Hutt. How I have never discovered this delight before, I don’t know. Set it a beautifully restored villa, there are hearty eats (with a lot of vegetarian and vegan offerings), delicious coffee and plenty of sunny comfy spots to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere. This savoury scone with spices, sunflower seeds and olives was spectacular.
Shared weekend morning tea with friends was a delight, with two types of beautiful smoked fish, including the Bay Smokehouse’s Kahawai. I am a big fan of Kahawai, which I feel is sometimes overlooked in favour of more delicate varieties – as a meaty, substantial fish, it stands up brilliantly to smoking and lends itself very pleasantly to dips and pates – including my very own.
Finally, I have been busy doing Autumny-type activities with my plants, including harvesting my chillies and clearing out the last of my tomatoes, rescuing a few green (and spotting this amazing, tiny red mushroom!). So look out for some recipes featuring some of these fellas (chillies and tomatoes – not the mushroom) soon.
