Friday, November 14, 2014

gourmet traveller: lemon & mustard chicken with crushed herb potatoes

We were staying with friends a fortnight ago and we were working out dinner when I remembered I had some chicken (thighs) that needed to be cooked. My friend knew just the meal she'd cook - a weekly staple in their house - which could easily become ours too. I love a tried and tested recipe. This meal is relatively straightforward and really tasty. The kids loved it and if I can work out how to cook on crutches I'm planning to make it tonight for our family. I will have some beans with it too.

lemon & mustard chicken with crushed herb potatoes
serves four 

ingredients
50 ml olive oil  
40 gm butter, coarsely chopped  
1 chicken (about 1.6kg), jointed, skin and meat slashed 
4 garlic cloves, crushed  
200 ml dry white wine  
100 ml chicken stock  
100 ml pouring cream  
40 gm Dijon mustard  
2 tbsp sage  
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon    
crushed herb potatoes  
800 gm kipfler potatoes, scrubbed  
40 gm butter, coarsely chopped 
2 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley  
1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 200C. Heat oil and butter in a large casserole or ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down and cook, turning once, until golden (5-6 minutes). Add garlic and stir to combine. Add wine, reduce slightly, then add stock. Transfer to the oven and roast until chicken is cooked through (10-12 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm. Whisk cream and mustard into pan juices and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by a third (6-8 minutes). Add sage and lemon rind and juice, and season to taste. Return chicken to pan and keep warm.

Meanwhile, for crushed herb potatoes, place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with salted cold water, bring to the boil and cook until tender (15-20 minutes). Drain well, return to pan, add butter, coarsely crush with a fork and season to taste. Add herbs, stir to combine and serve with lemon and mustard chicken.

Monday, November 10, 2014

overnight trip: Lane Cove National Park

I just can't believe it's taken us this long to visit Lane Cove National Park! The park is only about 35 minutes drive from where we live so we decided it would be a great option for a one-nighter in the caravan while we're learning the ropes.



Our kids are making themselves at home in the new caravan.


As well as being so accessible from the city (Sydney) the other beauty is that, once there, in the bush, you can forget that you are close to the city at all!



The flannel flowers are out in full bloom at the moment and the forest is full of Xanthorrhea Australis' (grass trees). 


Upsides
* The river is a short, easy walk from the caravan park. You can meander along the banks of the Lane Cove River or pack a picnic & have lunch at any of the many picnic areas along the riverside. You can access these by car too in a day trip. 
* The caravan park is surrounded by bush. 
* The amenities in the park are clean and there is a small playground. 
* Powered and unpowered sites are reasonably priced. See the website for details.

Downsides 
* If you've promised your kids a swim in the pool you need to know that it is unheated. You'd probably rather get out and walk instead of being stuck by the pool anyway! 

Tip:
* The CP is spread over a large area. You could end up with a site at the top of the park but I'd recommend asking for a site with a view of the bush to take full advantage of the surrounds. 

And who says you can't eat well when you're on the road? well we fired up the Weber for the first time and this was our smorgasbord: steaks (thank you Millin's Fine Food Butcher for the 8 week aged steaks) on the bbq with homemade sauerkraut (remember this?); a beetroot, avocado and carrot leafy salad dressed with lime juice & olive oil; snappy blanched beans & asparagus with lime juice, salt, pepper & olive oil. The kids had beef chipolatas with the salad and veg.

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