Any caterer will tell you that one of the biggest tasks we face after any job is the wash up. I have some (not so good!) memories of trying to wash plates out the back of a wedding marquee using hot water drained off the potatoes – I kid you not. I hasten to add this was not in Hey Pesto! – we prefer indoor sinks and dishwashers!
As regular readers will know I love to cook – both in my catering kitchen and my house kitchen – and I have a tendency to use a lot of dishes and pots. Unfortunately I don’t always have an assistant to wash up after me so my dishwasher is a very essential piece of kit.
One of the tests for my dishwasher was a private Asian cooking class for 10 with 4 courses – that equals a lot of dirty dishes as you can imagine…..
After three full loads in one evening I’m sticking to the view that it’s more efficient to use a dishwasher than to wash by hand. Now if only someone would invent a way to unload the dishwasher and put everything back in it’s place…..
Still, in an attempt to keep washing up to a minimum why not try this dish from my recent ‘One Pot Wonders’ class .
Even the Chief Taster, my assistant for the evening, commented that there seemed to be a lot less wash up at this class than usual. Mind you he forgot about the tasting table and was rather relieved when I put all the plates and glasses through the machine!
‘Sticky Chicken’
No Servings: 4 Oven: 200 C/ Gas 4
What you need:
- 750g baby potatoes
- rapeseed oil for roasting – Glenfield if possible
- Seasalt
- 2-3 red onions
- 3 peppers ( or a packet of mini peppers – great for colour)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 8 chicken portions – thighs or legs
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- tbsp. honey – I use local Tullamore honey
- 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard (wholegrain)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Fresh parsley
What you do:
- Firstly prepare the vegetables:cut the potatoes in half, cut onions into wedges and cut the peppers into chunks.
- Mix the potatoes and 2 smashed cloves of garlic with a good glug of rapeseed oil in a roasting dish. Sprinkle with salt and roast in pre-heated oven for 10 mins.
- Make up the roasting syrup – crush the remaining clove of garlic and mix it with the honey, mustard, lemon juice and 1 tbsp. oil. Season to taste.
- Add the peppers and the red onions to the roasting dish and scatter over some fresh rosemary.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables and brush generously with the syrup.
- Roast for 45 mins or until the chicken is cooked and golden. Scatter with parsley to serve.
I can assure you the roasting dish comes clean in the dishwasher too!
Happy Cooking!
PS there’s more ………….
The kind people at Finish have also promised me a selection of products to be given to one lucky reader – to enter all you have to do is comment on this post telling me your worst dish-washing nightmare.
There are a few rules, of course:
- The Competition is open to Republic of Ireland & UK readers only
- You have until Friday 9th October to enter
- The Judge’s decision is final – any Complaints to the Chief Taster
Hey Pesto! 
Am going to try this recipe today and I have a pot of Tullamore honey too.
I hope you like it Sharon – don’t forget to post back a picture of the dish
I love your post, Yvonne. The dishwashing agenda is such a problem that it almost stunts your creativity, if you let it. My routine, when I’m cooking for company, is to fill the dishwasher and run it as fast as possible. Ideally, when our company leaves, the dishwasher has run its first load and is ready to be emptied. I load it up then with glasses, which takes about 30 minutes, and once they’re clean, I load it up with the stragglers ( cooking and serving vessels) and set it to run. I bid my slave ( as I call the dishwasher) ‘Goodnight’, and know that all I have to face in the morning is a cold dishwasher full of sparkling ware. Finish really does bring closure to a good night’s food, wine and conviviality.
Hi Yvonne. My worst dishwasher experience was soaking a dish in washing up liquid not rinsing properly then put it in the dishwasher turned it on went out to hang out clothes. When I returned to the kitchen the foam met me at the back door
Grainne I think I’d have gone back out into the garden!
I try and do that too Catherine – I like to have the kitchen under some semblance of control before leaving it for the night.
PS I’m so glad I’m not the only one who talks to appliances 🙂
Himself and myself recently were washing up for an event in Waterford. Outside in the rain. Drying drying up! What we wouldn’t have given for a dishwasher!
Ah the joys of outside catering Jeni – don’t you just love it!
I have chicken legs in the freezer, going to try this recipe…here’s hoping the dishwasher can stand the pressure of sticky chicken😉
Of course it will Elizabeth – provided you use Finish tablets 😉