Recipes, Styling & Photos Emma Boyd

Serves 4-6, Prep Time 30 minutes, Cook Time 1 hour

¼ cup + 2 tbsps olive oil

1 cup parsley

1 cup basil

50 g parmesan cheese, finely grated

50 g almonds

1 onion, cut into thin wedges

4 cloves garlic, minced

150 g silverbeet, stems finely diced, leaves finely chopped

700 g chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp chicken stock concentrate (I used Simon Gault’s stock in a pouch)

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup cream

½ cup water

1 ½ cups peas

900 g potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces

150 ml milk

75 g butter, cubed

100 g cheese, coarsely grated

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Put the ¼ cup of olive oil, parsley, basil, parmesan and almonds into a small food processor and process until you have pesto. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat then add in the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Next add in the silverbeet and cook for a further minute or two before adding in the chicken, cooking until it turns white. Add in the pesto, mustard and chicken stock concentrate then sprinkle over the flour and mix until smooth. Mix together the cream and the water and slowly pour into the pan, stirring constantly as you go to form a smooth sauce. Mix in the peas then cook over a medium heat until the sauce has thickened a little, stirring as you go. Tip out into an oven-proof dish.

Put the potatoes into a pot, cover with water then bring to the boil and cook until soft. Remove from the heat and drain well before adding in the milk and butter. Season with sea salt then mash until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe over the chicken filling (or simply spoon over). Scatter over the cheese then bake until the potato is golden and the filling is bubbly, approximately 40 minutes. Serve with seasonal greens.