Ballotine of chicken breast stuffed with spinach and ricotta, served with potato and beetroot gratin and sherry cream sauce

Ingredients

For the ballotines
2 chicken breasts, de-boned and skin removed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
110g/4oz fresh spinach, stems removed
1 tsp vegetable oil
20g/¾ oz chicken leg meat, finely chopped
75g/3oz ricotta cheese
pinch grated nutmeg
825ml/1½ pint hot chicken stock
For the gratin
450ml/¾ pint double cream
4 garlic cloves, skinned and bruised with the flat of a knife
salt and freshly ground black pepper
450g/1lb Desiree or Maris Piper potatoes, sliced wafer thin (older potatoes work best)
225g/½ lb beetroot, sliced wafer thin
For the sauce
150ml/¼ pint sherry
150ml/¼ pint chicken stock, reserved from the stock used above
55ml/2fl oz double cream

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230C/445F/Gas 8.
2. Place each chicken breast between two sheets of cling film. Flatten by bashing with a rolling pin or meat mallet until about 2cm/0.8in thick. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Rinse the spinach and dry thoroughly. Cook the spinach in a large pan of boiling salted water for a few minutes. Drain through a sieve and, using a spoon, squeeze out excess water until dry.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a small frying pan and add the chicken leg meat. Fry the chicken until browned all over.
6. Place the browned chicken leg meat, spinach, ricotta and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and season. Set the frying pan used to fry the chicken aside.
7. Blend the mixture with a hand blender until the texture is smooth.
8. Place a couple of teaspoons of the mixture in the centre of each seasoned chicken breast, fold the flattened ends into a cylindrical shape and then roll into a sausage with the cling film. Make sure the chicken is rolled with plenty of spare cling film to spare at each end - this will help when knotting the ends. It should be as tight as possible. Secure the ends by knotting the film and tying the two ends together so a lifting handle is created.
9. Place the wrapped chicken breasts in a pan with the hot stock and simmer for about 40 minutes. When cooked, carefully lift out with a spoon, using the cling film handles and leave in a warm place until the gratin is cooked. Reserve 150ml/¼pt of the stock.
10. Meanwhile, make the gratin. You will need an ovenproof dish of around 25cm x 15cm (9.8in x 5.9in).
11. Pour the cream into a pan with the bruised garlic and set over a medium heat. When it starts to boil, take off the heat and leave to infuse for a few minutes.
12. Carefully remove the garlic cloves and discard. Pour a fifth of the cream into the base of the ovenproof dish. In layers, arrange half of the sliced potatoes in the dish, seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Pour a little of the cream in as you arrange each layer.
13. Repeat the layering with the beetroot, and finish with a layer of the remaining potatoes. Pour the remaining cream over the top. Season with more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
14. Place the gratin in the oven and cook until crisp and bubbling on top (about 35-40 minutes, or longer if required).
15. For the sauce, add the sherry to the pan used to cook the chicken pieces. Cook until the sherry has reduced by half, stirring with a wooden spoon to pick up any meaty sediment in the pan. Pour in the reserved chicken stock. Reduce the liquor until it is of sauce consistency and add the cream to finish.
16. To serve, thickly slice the ballotines at an angle, place alongside a serving of the gratin and pour the sauce over.