Roast chicken with fennel, potato and black olive stuffing

Ingredients

• Serves 4-6
• 1 farm raised chicken 1.8 kg (4 lbs)
• 1 lb (450 g) waxy potatoes, skin on, cut into ½ inch (1 cm) dice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb (500 g) chipolata sausages (or 7 oz/200 g pancetta), diced
• 1 large fennel, diced, reserve any fronds
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 leek, washed and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 9fl oz (250 mls) dry white wine
• 50 black olives, pitted, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Put the cubed potatoes into a small pot, cover with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until just tender. Drain in a colander so the steam can escape.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the diced chipolata (or pancetta or livers) until golden brown. Add the diced fennel, onion and leek and cook until they soft. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of thyme and continue cooking for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and transfer the ingredients to a large bowl. Add the cooked potatoes, chopped olives and the juice and zest of one lemon. Mix thoroughly, season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 200 °F (400 °C). Remove any excess fat from around the chicken cavity. Season the cavity with salt, pepper and the juice of the second lemon. Spoon some the cool stuffing into the chicken and put the rest aside. Sew up the cavity or close with skewers. Rub the outside of the chicken with the softened butter, then season the skin with salt, pepper and sprinkle with the remaining thyme.
4. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and pour in ½ cup of wine. Put in the oven and roast 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and baste with the accumulated pan juices. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients to the pan and the remaining ½ cup of wine. Return the chicken to the oven and continue cooking 35 minutes. Check the chicken is done, remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil and let it rest 10 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken from the roasting pan to a carving board. Cut the chicken and arrange on a serving platter surrounded by the roasted vegetables and scooped out stuffing. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds and serve.