A more complex recipe this has many steps and quite a lot of ingredients but is great for a special occasion! Skirlie is a traditional Scottish stuffing made with oatmeal, onions and suet. The name “skirlie” comes from the sound of the ingredients sizzling as they cook. If you haven’t tried it, you must! It is a staple side dish to any roast dinner in Scotland.
RECIPE
SERVES 2
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Top Chef
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 2 skin on supremes of chicken (or 2 skin on chicken breasts)
- 150g oatmeal
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- 100g sure
For the sweetcorn puree:
- 150g sweetcorn (I use frozen)
- 100ml chicken stock
For the gnocchi:
- 3 large potatoes
- 2 spring onions, finely diced
- 1 egg yolk
- 50g plain flour
For the glazed vegetables:
- 2 spring onions
- 2 carrots
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 200ml chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon sugar
You will also need:
- Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Thyme
METHOD
1. First, boil the whole, skin on potatoes in a large pan filled with boiling water. This will take around 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the skirlie. Mix the onion, oatmeal and suet in an ovenproof dish. Season very generously with salt and pepper. Leave to one side and heat the oven to 200C.
3. For the puree, boil the sweetcorn in 100ml chicken stock in a small pan for about 5 minutes until soft. Blitz in a blender (I used a Nutribullet) until smooth. If it isn’t as smooth as you’d like, push through a sieve.
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil. Add two heaped tablespoons of butter to the dish. Put the chicken and the dish of skirlie in the oven and cook for around 30 minutes. Baste the chicken with the butter every 5 minutes or so.
5. Meanwhile, make the gnocchi. Peel the skins off the potatoes. If you have one, push the potatoes through a potato ricer or, if not, a sieve. Beat in the flour, egg yolk and spring onions carefully. Don’t overmix or the gnocchi will be tough.
6. Roll the potato mix into a large sausage. It doesn’t have to be a perfect size, but as a guide, aim for around the width of two fingers. It will be pretty long. Cut into gnocchi sized pieces, remembering that they increase in size when cooked.
4. Cut the carrots in half. In a frying pan, add the carrots, chicken stock, sugar, butter and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 12 minutes until the carrots are soft. Add the spring onions whole for the last 2 minutes. If the pan gets dry before the vegetables are ready , add more chicken stock and a tablespoon of butter.
5. Whilst the carrots, chicken and skirlie are cooking away, fill a saucepan with boiling water. Add the gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes or so until they rise to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
6. Remove the chicken and skirlie and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes. Cut a pocket in the side of the breast and fill with skirlie.
7. Add two tablespoons of butter to a frying pan on a medium high heat. When foaming, add the gnocchi and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown. Reheat the sweetcorn puree if needed.
8. Serve the skirlie stuffed chicken on top of the sweetcorn puree and surround with the vegetables and gnocchi. Garnish with some thyme leaves. Enjoy!
TIPS
- Use ready made gnocchi. Cook according to the packet instructions, drain on kitchen paper then fry in butter in the same way.
- Store leftover thyme in the freezer. Store in freezer bags for use anytime.
