I love making food to mark an occasion, so this week a green, white and gold supper is on the menu. As gaudy as it may seem to celebrate our national day with some patriotic poultry, it is a family tradition.
My mother used to always have the Irish flag represented somehow on the dinner table come Patrick’s Day. It was usually thick slices of salty bacon smothered in homemade parsley sauce with boiled potatoes and carrot mash. It is a dinner I still love today.
As a six-year-old, this type of decoration can make dinner seem fun. I was reminded of this last year when I made my own children green matcha pancakes in the shape of shamrocks and sprinkled bee pollen over them to represent leprechauns’ gold. Oh, how times have changed.
Tarragon is an underused herb, perhaps because it’s not as hardy or versatile as parsley or coriander, but it is truly delicious. French tarragon is the best, as the other varieties lack its strong aroma and anise flavour.
It is delicious in chicken soup and goes great with fish. My memories of tarragon involve chicken, white-wine sauce and boiled rice, so it is nice to use some of the same ingredients to make something else entirely.
Use any leftover leaves to make tarragon vinegar. Simply bruise one cup of leaves to release their oils, then place in a jar, pour over two cups of vinegar and seal the jar. Leave in a dark cupboard for two to four weeks, then remove and discard the leaves.I usually use raw cider vinegar, but white-wine vinegar would be fine either. The tarragon vinegar is perfect for making your own Béarnaise sauce, salad dressing or mayonnaise.
A true aioli is just oil and garlic pounded together until rich and creamy. I have tried that before and it is more work than you would want to be doing on a Friday evening. So I have taken the easy route.
Really, this is more of a tarragon mayonnaise. Modern aioli recipes call for an egg yolk or two to emulsify the sauce, so basically you are making your own mayonnaise. It tastes amazing with the chicken and balances the sweetness of the fries.
I have tried every version of sweet-potato chip out there, trying to get that elusive crispy exterior that a regular potato chip has. Covering them in olive oil, duck fat, coconut oil or polenta does not work. I even rolled them in sesame seeds, which gives a nice crunch but is barely worth the effort. I have found that placing them on greaseproof paper with no oils or fats of any kind does the trick. The chips are crunchy and caramelised on the edges, and soft and sweet inside.
This dish is very tasty, but even so I think I will boil some bacon and make some parsley sauce this weekend. I can’t think of the last time I ate it, and there is no better time to eat nostalgic Irish food.
CHICKEN WITH TARRAGON AIOLI AND SWEET-POTATO FRIES: SERVES 4-6
The five ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 15g fresh tarragon
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 lemon
- 150g good-quality mayonnaise
From the pantry
- 2 cloves garlic
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into batons. Line a baking tray or two with greaseproof paper and arrange the chips in a single layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until crisp around the edges and soft inside.
Place the chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag with the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Roll each one with a rolling pin to flatten, so that each breast is the same thickness. This way the meat will cook evenly. Place the chicken breasts on a rack over a tray and place in the oven with the sweet-potato chips. Cook for five minutes, then turn them over. After another five minutes they should be cooked through.
Meanwhile blitz the mayonnaise, garlic and tarragon together with three tablespoons of lemon juice. Serve with the hot chicken and fries.
- Every Thursday, we'll tweet the five ingredients from @lillyhiggins and @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes
