serves
4
prep
55 minutes
cook
1:10 hour
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
55
minutes
cooking
1:10
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 8 baby beetroots
- 600 g Jersey royal or kipfler potatoes (waxy)
- 12 radishes or baby carrots with their leaves on
- 4 chicken breasts
- 100 g butter
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- rendered chicken fat (or olive oil), for frying
- 200 g fresh breadcrumbs
Grenobloise
- 1 tbsp finely chopped French shallot or red onion
- 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
- 2 oregano sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 2 eggs, hard boiled
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, zested and juice of ½ lemon
- 2½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Put 4 of the beetroots (whole) in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until soft, then allow to cool in the water.
Put the whole potatoes in a separate saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until they remain slightly firm as they will be pan-fried later. Drain.
While the beetroots and potatoes are cooking, prepare a bowl of water with a few drops of lemon juice. Use a mandolin to finely shave the remaining raw beetroots into the bowl, then do the same for the radishes if using, reserving the leaves for garnish. Leave in the water until ready to serve.
Begin the Grenobloise by combining the shallots or red onion, capers, parsley, tarragon and oregano in a bowl. Finely chop the whites of the eggs (or squeeze them through a ricer) and add to the bowl. (Reserve the egg yolks for garnish.)
Place the chicken breasts on a shallow dish and place inside a large bamboo steamer. Steam for 6–10 minutes, until firm to the touch. Once cooked, cover with foil to keep warm.
If using baby carrots, trim off the feathery tops of the leaves, leaving a good section of green stem. Steam until just tender. Toss with a knob of the butter and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Peel the boiled potatoes and cut into thick rounds. Heat some rendered chicken fat or olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and add the potatoes, frying on each side until golden and crisp. If you were using olive oil, finish with a knob of butter to caramelise the potatoes. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
In the pan the potatoes were fried in, melt the remaining butter aside from a knob needed for the beetroot. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and cook gently, stirring, until golden and crisp.
Peel the cooked beetroots and cut them in half. Reheat them in a splash of their cooking water. Finish with a knob of butter and some salt, and keep warm.
Season the Grenobloise with salt and pepper and add the lemon zest, juice and olive oil and mix well.
To serve, place the chicken breasts on one side of each plate. Lay some potato rounds on the other side and top with pieces of cooked beetroot and baby carrots (if using). Sprinkle the chicken and vegetables with toasted breadcrumbs and spoon over some of the Grenobloise. Finely chop the egg yolks (or squeeze them through a ricer) and sprinkle on top. Scatter with wafers of raw beetroot and radish (if using). Garnish with radish leaves (if using).
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
