Baked mustard & lemon chicken

This is a quick dish to cook, if you have chicken pieces available. I used 4 chicken legs, but it will work with any chicken pieces. If you use pieces with their skin on, this will hold the marinade and crisp up when baked in the oven.

Ingredients

4 x Chicken legs
Marinade:
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 heaped teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Method

Put all the ingredients for the marinade into a sealable food bag that is large enough to take the chicken pieces too. Seal the bag and mix the marinade together. Add the chicken pieces, reseal and massage the marinade into the chicken. Leave for a minimum of 10 minutes, but can also be made ahead and left to marinade in the fridge.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven Gas 6. Take a small roasting tray, grease the tray with olive oil, then place the chicken into the tray, skin side up, pour any remaining marinade over the chicken pieces.
Roast in the oven for 40 minutes (check after 30 minutes if small pieces).

How to check if chicken is cooked: Insert a knife at the thickest part of the chicken, next to a bone. Check if there are any pink juices, or pink meat (this means chicken is still not cooked). Juices should run clear when cooked. Return to oven for another 5 minutes and check again. Always check more than one piece of chicken as some ovens don't cook evenly.

Serve the chicken, drizzle over the juices from the pan. I served with parmentier potatoes, steamed kale and carrots. You could also serve with rice and a salad.

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White sauce

Ingredients
250ml/ 1/2pint milk
25g/1oz plain flour
25g/1oz butter/spread suitable for cooking
Salt and pepper

Method
Put all the ingredients in a small pan, grab a balloon whisk and put over a medium heat, keep stirring until the sauce has thickened. (don't leave it, just keep stirring, trust me it will look impossible to start with but it works)

When it has thickened and starts to bubble, allow to simmer for 3 minutes to "cook" the flour.

Season to taste.

Cheese sauce - simply stir in 1 tsp dijon mustard, add 75g/3oz grated cheese and heat gently until melted.

Parsley sauce - stir in 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

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Cauliflower cheese

1 cauliflower
1oz plain flour
1oz butter
1/2 pint milk
1tsp Dijon mustard
3oz cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

Break cauliflower into florets and boil or steam until tender. Drain.

Make a simple white sauce use all in one method, 1oz plain flour, 1oz butter, 1/2 pint milk, pop in pan and put over gentle heat, use a balloon whisk and keep stirring until thick, allow to bubble for about 2 min until cooked, add 1tsp Dijon mustard, stir in, salt and pepper, then about 3 oz grated cheddar cheese.

Heat and stir until thick and creamy, pour over your cauliflower.

You could put cauliflower in an ovenproof dish, pour over sauce and then top with more grated cheese and then put under a grill or top of oven until golden brown.

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