Ingredients
- 2 thick slices white bread, crusts removed
- 100ml milk
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped sage
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 6 boned chicken thighs
- 4 x 2cm-thick slices stale ciabatta, halved
- 200ml dry white wine
- 8 thick pork sausages
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
- 6 sprigs rosemary, plus extra for serving
- 6 sprigs thyme
Method
A rustic Tuscan mixed roast of stuffed chicken thighs, pork sausages and country bread, baked on skewers, along with potatoes, garlic and loads of herbs.
Heat the oven to 200C. For the stuffing, soak the bread in milk, squeeze dry and mix with the parsley, sage, garlic, fennel seeds, sea salt and pepper until you have a good mush. Divide between the chicken thighs and roll up to enclose. Dip the ciabatta slices lightly in the white wine to prevent burning. Thread two or three long skewers with the ciabatta, sausage and chicken in turn, pushing them tightly together. Place in an oiled roasting pan and slather the lot generously with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Scatter the garlic cloves, potatoes, rosemary and thyme on the base of the pan and add the remaining white wine. Bake for 40 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices and scraping up and turning the potatoes and garlic once or twice, or until the chicken is golden and the potatoes are tender. To serve, push everything off the skewers, dip the bread in the pan juices and serve piled on warm plates with extra rosemary and the pan juices.
