Chicken braised in vinho verde with romesco potatoes

Method

1. Put the chicken legs on a tray and season with the salt and pepper. Put in the fridge, uncovered, for 2 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. To make the romesco, put the stale bread and almonds on a tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until the almonds are golden and the bread is crisp. Leave to cool slightly.
3. Set aside 20g of the almonds, then put the rest in a blender with the bread, peppers, 2 whole garlic cloves, chilli, 70ml olive oil, sherry vinegar and paprika. Season with salt, then whizz into a sauce – I like it coarse, so don’t feel the need to make it smooth.
4. To cook the chicken, heat 30g of the butter and 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan or casserole over a low-medium heat. Once sizzling, add the chicken legs skin side down and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown (you’ll probably need to do this in 2 batches). Flip and brown the other side for a minute, then transfer to a deep roasting tray.
5. Add the shallot to the same pan and cook for 2 minutes, then add the sliced garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the vinho verde, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spoon to deglaze, then simmer until reduced by half.
6. Pour in the stock, taste and season with salt and pepper, stir, then pour over the chicken. Cover the tray with foil and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a pan and cover with water. Season with salt, then put over a high heat. Bring to a boil, turn to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes or so until just tender Drain, then dress with the extra-virgin oil, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pile onto a platter in layers, spooning the romesco onto each layer.
8. Take the chicken out of the oven and put on a serving platter to rest. Pour the remaining liquid into a pan and bring to the boil. Cook until reduced by about a third, then whisk in the remaining 20g butter to thicken and gloss it up. Stir in the chopped coriander, then bathe your chicken legs in the sauce. Serve with green beans, if you like.