Name: Potato-stuffed roast chicken with crispy sage and pumpkin
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 140 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 750g potatoes to mash (try sebago), cut into 3cm pieces; 2.25kg chicken; 125g unsalted butter; 1 cup sage leaves, plus extra 1 Tbsp finely chopped; 1 leek, quartered lengthways, thinly sliced; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted; Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season; Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling; 1/2 Kent pumpkin, washed, cut into 5cm pieces

Used to seeing your mashed potato sitting on the side? Not with this roast chicken, which teams it with sage, garlic and pine nuts then pack it inside (yep inside) the chook for a stunning stuffing.

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Ingredients

750g potatoes to mash (try sebago), cut into 3cm pieces

2.25kg chicken

125g unsalted butter

1 cup sage leaves, plus extra 1 Tbsp finely chopped

1 leek, quartered lengthways, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1/2 Kent pumpkin, washed, cut into 5cm pieces

Method

Place potato pieces in a large saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 12-15 minutes until tender. Drain, then roughly mash in the pan.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Line an oven tray and a roasting pan with baking paper, adding chicken to pan.

Put butter in a large frying pan and melt on medium heat. Cook whole sage leaves for 4 minutes or until translucent and dark green, then remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add leek, extra sage and garlic to pan and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes or until cooked. Transfer two-thirds of the leek mixture to pan containing the mashed potato, add pine nuts, and mix to combine. Season to taste. Allow to cool.

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with potato mixture and tie up the legs with kitchen string to secure. Rub remaining leek mixture under skin of breasts, season, then very lightly drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 2 hours. Remove from oven and set chicken aside to rest for 20 minutes. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, add pumpkin to prepared tray, lightly drizzle with olive oil and season. After the chicken has been cooking for 11/4 hours, put pumpkin in the oven and roast for 45 minutes or until golden and tender.

Serve chicken with pumpkin, crispy sage leaves and any pan juices.