Roast chicken dinner with apple and pistachio stuffing

Fact: there is no easier way to cook a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings than this. Roasting the bird directly on the oven rack allows all the delicious chicken juices to fall through to the vegetables below. And there are even greens and gravy.

1 medium free-range chicken, about 1.5kg

rapeseed oil, for drizzling

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

300g small carrots

700g potatoes, ideally Maris Piper or Yukon Gold

150g cavolo nero, tough stems removed and finely sliced

200ml hot chicken stock

For the stuffing:

1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced very small

80g breadcrumbs, ideally from a sourdough or good-quality, country-style loaf

40g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar

grated zest ½ lemon

Serves: 4 | Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F. Set the oven rack on the middle shelf and another underneath, leaving just enough space between to fit a 30 x 20 x 5-cm roasting tray.

Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and stuff into the chicken’s cavity. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper. Drizzle over some oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, then rub into the skin. Place the bird on the top rack and slot the oven tray on the shelf underneath so it can catch the fat from the bird. Roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut any carrots bigger than the width of your thumb in half or quarters lengthways. Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters, or eighths if very large, ideally no larger than 5cm wide. When the chicken has had its 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 200°C/400°F. Add the vegetables to the tray and turn them in the hot fat; add a little more oil if necessary to lightly coat, and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the tray directly underneath the chicken again and roast for 50 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally.

Add the cavolo nero to the tray, pour over half the stock and gently turn the vegetables so the kale is coated in the liquid and sitting among the potatoes and carrots, not on top. Roast for 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to serving plates. Pour the remaining stock into the tray, stir to incorporate the juices and caramelised bits to make a light gravy. Spoon over the chicken and vegetables and serve immediately.