CHICKEN ROASTED WITH GRAPES / BEST EVER FONDANT POTATOES
There was a time when the absolute swinging height of dinner party sophistication (besides a fondue set) meant meat matched with fruit. A glance through many cookbooks published between 1950 and 1985 could find you pondering over the potentially delicious (duck with cherries), the perfectly hideous (anything involving banana), and the occasionally bizarre (kiwifruit with salmon). Often it would be set alight. Either way it was all terribly exciting and given that an integral prelude to any dinner party in the 60’s and 70’s involved copious amounts of liquor and cigarettes, I don’t suppose flavour was really much on the agenda anyway.
Besides the ubiquitous pork and apple combo (nothing wrong with a cliche), we don’t seem to cook much with fruit in a savoury context these days. It doesn’t have to be all duck a la banana.
And it is as simple as shoving some grapes in to roast with some chicken, garlic and rosemary. What you’ll end up with is a beautifully warming, autumnal dish that will stand up very well next to those dangerous little fondant potatoes on the side. Fondant spuds are fun because there’s more butter in them than a cake, and you get to pretend you’re Gordon Ramsay. Enough said? I think so.
And since Mother’s Day is coming up, I’m offering free shipping for the next week on any of my cookbooks - go to www.sammannering.com to purchase and type in MUM for the discount code at checkout.
Have a lovely rest of the week, and happy cooking, always.
S