Oven Baked Coq Au Vin With Buttery Crushed Potatoes

Before you begin...

This recipe takes around 5-10 min to prep, so get your casserole dish and all your ingredients ready, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Make sure your dish is oven-proof and safe to use on the hob. Don't have one? Start cooking in a large, wide-based pan then transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover tightly with foil

Now, let's get started!

Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Boil a full kettle

Heat a large, wide-based hob-safe oven-proof casserole dish with a matching lid with a drizzle of olive oil over high heat

Peel and chop your shallots in half

Crush your garlic open by squashing with the side of a knife and discard the skin

Once the dish is hot, add your chicken thighs with a generous pinch of salt and pepper

Add the halved shallots and crushed garlic with your tomato paste and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] flour and give everything a good mix up

Add 350ml [455ml] [650ml] boiled water with 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] sugar, your red wine paste and beef stock mix

Crumble in your white cup mushrooms and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, add your bay leaf[ves] and dried thyme

Cover with a lid and put the dish in the oven for 40 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your coq au vin

Add your potatoes to a baking tray and prick them a few times with a sharp knife

Add a drizzle of olive oil and put the tray in the oven for 40 min or until cooked through

Use this time to clear up, set the table, have a cup of tea or simply chill!

Once everything's ready, remove the potatoes from the oven and crush them firmly with a spatula or the bottom of a plate

Add a couple of knobs of butter and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and mix it all together – these are your buttery crushed potatoes