Easter poussins recipe

Ingredients

• 4 oven-ready poussins
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 lemons, halved
• 1 bunch fresh thyme, divided into 4
• 3 tbsp (40 g) butter, softened
• 8–11 vine leaves, brined and rinsed (available from Greek food specialists)
• ⅓ cup (100 ml) plus 1 tbsp white wine
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Asparagus in Lemon & Caper Brown Butter to serve

• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
• generous ¾ cup (200 ml) white wine
• generous ¾ cup (200 ml) chicken stock
• 1 tbsp (15 g) butter
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives

• 18 oz (500 g) baking potatoes, peeled
• 7 tbsp (100 g) organic ghee, melted
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a round 5-cm/2-inch cookie cutter
• baking sheet, lined with baking parchment

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas 7.
2. Season the inside of each poussin with salt and pepper, then stuff each with a garlic clove, lemon half and the thyme. Smother the skins with the butter and season with salt and pepper.
3. Lay two vine leaves out widthways side-by-side, slightly overlapping on a work surface. Place one poussin on top at the breast end, leaving the legs extended past the leaves. Fold the leaves up around the sides. Repeat with the remaining poussins and leaves.
4. Sit the birds in a shallow roasting pan. Pour the wine into the pan around the birds. Roast in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until cooked through. Baste with the juices a few times during the cooking process. Remove from the pan, cover with foil and set aside to rest while you make the white wine sauce.
5. Place the pan with the cooking juices on the hob/stove-top over a medium heat, add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Turn up the heat, add the wine and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook for 8–10 minutes until thickened. Take off the heat, mix in the butter, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir through the chives to finish. Serve with the Poussins, Maxim Potatoes and Asparagus in Lemon & Caper Brown Butter.
Maxim Potatoes
6. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) Gas 3.
7. Slice the potatoes into 2–3-mm/1-8 inch-thick pieces on a mandoline (do not rinse them or put in water as the starch is needed). Use the cutter to cut out 48 discs (12 per person). Arrange the 12 discs in an overlapping symmetrical ring on the prepared baking sheet and brush with melted ghee. Repeat for each serving, cover with baking parchment and a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes, checking after 10 minutes.
8. Remove the top baking sheet and parchment and reduce the oven heat to 120°C (250°F) Gas ½. Cook for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown. Season to taste and serve.