Roast Chicken with Pumpkin Potato Smash & Green Beans

Whoever decided a roast should only happen on a Sunday must have been completely mad. I love nothing more than a good roast chook, and if I feel like one then I'm going to have one, regardless of what day of the week it may be.

Wednesday night was a classic example. It was cold, rainy and downright miserable here in Melbourne, and I had a craving for a good hearty roast dinner. Plus Mr B had been especially wonderful that day, and was deserving of something a little bit special.

I decided to go with chicken marylands, as they cook much quicker than a whole chicken, and look pretty on the plate too. And rather than go with traditional roast veges (which can take ages), I just whipped up a tasty mash of pumpkin and potato, and served with some seasoned green beans for a bit of colour.

The end result was absolutely delicious, and only took around 40 minutes to put together. Perfect for a school night!

2 chicken marylands
2 potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 butternut pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup green beans, topped & tailed
Juice of one lemon
4 sprigs fresh oregano
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp butter
Olive oil
Sea salt & cracked black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Start on the chicken by creating a quick marinade with half the lemon juice, a tablespoon of olive oil, crushed garlic and salt & pepper. Rub this mix all over the chicken.

Next heat a fry pan over high heat and cook the chicken with the skin side down for a couple of minutes, (or until golden brown) then turn over and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a roasting pan. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the fresh oregano, then transfer to the oven and roast for 35 minutes.


While the chicken is roasting, place the pumpkin and potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until tender. Once cooked through add a tablespoon of butter, season well with salt and pepper and roughly mash or "smash" with a fork so that you achieve a slightly chunky consistency.

When the chicken is just about ready to serve, quickly blanch the green beans in a small pot of boiling until just tender. They should still have a sligh crispness to them. Drain the water, then season the beans with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining lemon juice and half a tablespoon of butter. Toss until the butter melts.

To serve, pile up the mashed potato and pumpkin, top with green beans and then place the chicken on top. Spoon over some of the roasting juices for an extra hit of flavour at the end.

Serves 2.