, Step by step

Tray baked chicken with Jersey potatoes and tarragon

An easy chicken and potato traybake, making the most of the Jersey season with a hint of spring herbs.

Mark Stower, Director of Food and Service

Preparation Time: 10 mins - plus marinating

Cooking Time: 45 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Step 1

Make the marinade by mixing the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Score the chicken thighs, then place them in a glass storage container, add the marinade and mix with the chicken. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Step 2

Cut the potatoes into halves and slice the mushrooms into strips.
Step 3

Place the marinated chicken thighs into a baking tray.
Step 4

Add the potatoes and mushrooms then pull the leaves from the tarragon stalks and scatter over the dish. Combine all the ingredients together in the tray, now evenly space out chicken thighs, skin-side up to create a single layer. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 5

Place into a pre-heated oven at 200˚C for 40-45 minutes, until the chicken thighs are cooked through and golden.
Step 6

Serve straight from the baking tray with a mixed salad and some crusty bread.

Jersey Royal potatoes have ‘European Union Protected Designation of Origin’ status, meaning only this type of potato grown on Jersey can use the name.
Potatoes have been cultivated on Jersey since the middle of the eighteenth century, but the uniquely kidney-shaped Jersey Royals were first discovered and nurtured in 1878 by a farmer, Hugh de la Haye, and friends and given the name ‘Jersey Royal Fluke’.
From that time, they were grown commercially, and by the late 1890s, the equivalent of 60,000 tonnes was being exported from the island.
Jersey Royals are classified as ‘new’ potatoes – young potatoes with thin skins and a firm waxy texture. They herald the new potato season in the UK, harvested from the end of March, with the main season for Jerseys between late April and June.
Many Jersey potato farmers are fourth and fifth-generation, using traditional methods. Including fertilising their crop with seaweed, ‘Vraic’. This is gathered from the beaches and has been employed as a fertiliser since the 12th century. The unique, slightly sweet flavour of Jersey Royals is said to derive in part from this seaweed.
Like all potatoes, Jersey Royals are rich in vitamin C, which is particularly concentrated just beneath the skin. The potatoes in Mark’s delicious tray bake would provide about one-fifth of your daily requirement for this vitamin.

DR JULIET GRAY, COMPANY NUTRITIONIST