Name: Easy Italian roast chicken with rosemary potatoes
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients: 4 chicken drumsticks; 4 chicken thighs; 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped; 2 fresh bay leaves, stalks stripped and leaves finely chopped; 2 large onions, chopped into thick petals; 100ml Vermentino or a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc; Extra virgin olive oil; Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; Rosemary potatoes; 1.2kg potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3cm cubes; 6 garlic cloves, roughly crushed; 1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves finely chopped; 1 teaspoon oregano; Extra virgin olive oil

This chicken and potato dish is the perfect example of classic Italian home cooking at its best. It ’s a much simpler and healthier version of chicken and chips. The chicken is juicy and succulent , and the roast potatoes are super crispy, with a touch of rosemary and salt. This recipe is loved by adults and children alike – it ’s a great traybake meal that will please the whole family. Try with greens on the side or have on its own as a meal in itself. You can’t go wrong with this super-simple recipe.

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Ingredients

4 chicken drumsticks

4 chicken thighs

2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves finely chopped

2 fresh bay leaves, stalks stripped and leaves finely chopped

2 large onions, chopped into thick petals

100ml Vermentino or a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc

Extra virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rosemary potatoes

1.2kg potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3cm cubes

6 garlic cloves, roughly crushed

1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves finely chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

Extra virgin olive oil

Method

First, marinate the chicken. Put all the ingredients (except those for the rosemary potatoes) into a large bowl along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Using your hands, give it a good stir, then cover and set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced. Put all the ingredients for the potatoes into a large bowl, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir well to coat the potatoes in the seasonings.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Pour in the seasoned potatoes, making sure they don’t overlap, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, discard any liquid from the marinated chicken, add a generous glug of olive oil, season with salt and give it a good stir.

Arrange the chicken and onions in the tray by nestling the chicken in between the potatoes and tucking the onions under each chicken piece. Make sure the chicken and the potatoes are not overlapping, so that they will colour evenly.

Place the tray back in the oven and roast for 40–45 minutes, or until the chicken and the potatoes are golden and fully cooked. Serve nice and hot.

Roast chicken with rosemary potatoes — *(Photography: Dave Brown)*

_{This is an edited extract from ‘Eat Like a Sardinian’ by Francesco Mattana, with photography by Dave Brown, published by Murdoch Books, $45.}

Recipe Francesco Mattana Chef and Author

Francesco Mattana is an Italian chef and online sensation with a large, loyal community that attracts millions of people across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. Growing up in Sardinia, he was surrounded by great home cooks and an appreciation for local and seasonal ingredients, and this inspired him to start his own culinary journey. After working in the kitchen in Sardinia, he travelled to Australia, where he opened his own highly regarded Italian restaurant in Brisbane called Ajó. In 2017, Francesco moved to the UK to pursue his passion for teaching, working for some of the top cookery schools in London and eventually becoming the head teacher chef at Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School. Francesco continues to offer cooking classes and to host events and demos in the UK and in Sardinia, teaching people about authentic Italian and Sardinian food. Eat Like a Sardinian is his first book.

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