Roast chicken with prune stuffing

Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced (220°C conventional).

To make the stuffing, put chopped prunes and water in a small saucepan on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt butter and oil in a medium frying pan on medium heat. Cook garlic and onion for 3 minutes until golden. Add sage and parsley, and cook for 3 minutes to soften, then add crushed pistachios and half of
the prunes. Put in a bowl and set aside to cool. When cooled, mix in egg, parmesan, mustard and onion powder.

Rub toasted sourdough with extra garlic, then tear both sourdough and brioche into chunks, add to prune mixture and season.

Dry chicken cavity with paper towel and, using your hands, fill the cavity with the stuffing, making sure
to fit in as much as possible.

Arrange onion rings and celery stalks in base of a roasting tray. Place chicken on top. Pour over verjuice and rub with oil, then season. Cover with baking paper and foil. Roast for 30 minutes, then uncover, lay pancetta slices across top of the chicken, slightly overlapping them, and roast for a further 1 hour and
20 minutes (if pancetta starts to colour too much, lay a piece of foil loosely just over the top).

Remove chicken from oven and rest for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan, and strain and reserve pan juices (don’t wash the pan). Discard onion and celery.

To make the gravy, put roasting pan on medium heat and melt butter. Mix in flour and scrape and stir the caramelised bits from the pan. Stir in white wine, bring to a simmer and add reserved pan juices. Stir in sage and remaining chopped prunes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season.

Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy on the side.