Julie Goodwin: Spanish chicken tray bake

Ingredients

1 large red capsicum, quartered, seeded and pith removed

4 ripe truss tomatoes, quartered (or 1 × 400g can crushed tomatoes)

1 large brown onion, quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

½ bunch coriander, thoroughly washed, leaves picked, stems and roots reserved

1 chorizo, cut into halves lengthwise, then into 1 cm chunks

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup pitted kalamata olives

2 tsp salt

½ tsp cracked black pepper

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1kg baby potatoes — a waxy variety such as Pontiac, Desiree or washed potatoes, sliced 1 cm thick

6 chicken thigh cutlets (about 1.2kg total), bone in, skin on

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

Step 1 Preheat oven to 190C.

Step 2 Place the capsicum, tomatoes, onion, garlic and the stems and roots of the coriander into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Step 3 Place a large chef’s pan with an ovenproof handle or a cast-iron enamel pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until dark and starting to go crisp. Add half of the olive oil and the pureed vegetables and stir until the mixture thickens and reduces slightly.

Step 4 Add the olives, half of the salt, pepper and half the paprika. Cook until the mixture is rich and a little bit dry. Remove the pan from the heat.

Step 5 Add the potato to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Once coated, place the potatoes evenly around the pan. Nestle the chicken pieces skin-side up among the potatoes. Drizzle the entire dish with the remaining oil and sprinkle the skin of the chicken with the rest of the salt and paprika.

Step 6 Place the pan into the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, until the skin of the chicken is brown and crisp, and the potatoes cooked through.

Step 7 Remove the pan from the oven and scatter with coriander leaves. Place lemon wedges around.

Serves 4

Extracted from Home For Dinner by Julie Goodwin, $49.99, published by Penguin