Black pepper, lemon and tarragon chicken with celeriac purée

Method

1. To make the chicken, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. In a small bowl, mix together the butter with the tarragon and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper.

2. Use your fingers to slightly loosen the skin on the chicken, then carefully push the herb butter underneath the skin. Place the chicken in a small roasting tin, then season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil. Roast for 25 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through, add the splash of Madeira wine, cover with kitchen foil and allow to rest.

3. To make the celeriac purée, place a saucepan over a medium heat and melt the butter. Add the celeriac, thyme, garlic and bay leaf then sweat with the lid on for 20 minutes.

4. Add the milk to the pan and continue to cook for 20 minutes. Finally, add the cream, remove the bay leaf and thyme and use a hand-held stick blender to blend the mixture to a smooth purée. Keep warm.

5. To make the dressing, place a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the butter and melt until the milk solids turn nut brown. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice and shallots. Add the chives along with any resting meat juices from the chicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

6. To serve, spoon some celeriac purée onto a plate with the chicken breast alongside. Spoon over the brown butter and herb juices.