Spicy Chicken Loaded Fries

You've just got home after a long days work and the kitchen awaits. The first thing I want in this situation is something messy, heart and mouth warming. My spicy loaded fries really fit the bill. A medley of hot goose fat fries, deliciously crispy and caramelized, loaded with a punchy arrangement of spicy smokey chicken thigh meat, sauerkraut, pickles and cheese. This is the meal you're looking for.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

600g Boneless Chicken Thighs

400g Chopped Tomato

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika

1 Teaspoon Spicy Pimenton

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 Teaspoon Dried Marjoram

2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

1 Jalapeño, minced (including seeds)

2 Red Onions, Peeled and finely sliced

6 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and minced

Salt

Pepper

For the fries

400g Carrot, peeled and cut into fries (1cm thick)

400g Parsnip, peeled and cut into fries (1cm thick)

1 Large Orange Kumara, peeled and cut into fries (1.5cm thick)

600g Waxy/Yellowy potatoes, cut into fries (1cm thick)

Goose or other fat of your choice

Salt

Pepper

Extras

Sauerkraut

Pickles

Cheese (creamy variety)

Method

We'll start by prepping the fries. Batch blanch all of the chips: 3 minutes for the carrots and parsnips, 2 minutes for the kumara, and 4 minutes for the potato. Set aside to cool. Once cool, mix a tablespoon of goose fat through the potato fries until well covered, then put in the freezer for ten -fifteen minutes. Do the same with the other vegetables, keeping them seperate.

Now, preheat the oven to 190 C. Flatten out the chicken thighs, dry with a paper towel, then arrange in an oiled roasting dish. Salt the skin lightly, then put in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes until just cooked.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, saute your onions and garlic on a medium heat in a little oil until soft and caramelizing. At that point, add your vinegar and jalapeño. Cook until it is a sticky mixture, then add the oregano, marjoram, pimenton, paprika and tomato paste. Continue to cook until the aromas develop, then add the 400g of chopped tomatoes and lower the heat to lowest setting.

Take the chicken out once done. Allow to cool to a handling temperature, then shred into rough strips.

Take the chilled fries and arrange them in a large roasting dish. I put all the potato fries in the tray first, then put a large wire rack over top and arrange the rest of the fries on that. Increase the temperature of the oven to 220 C, then put the fries in the oven for twenty minutes

Put the chicken into the tomato sauce and stir it through. Turn up the heat and reduce the sauce to a very thick paste. Salt an pepper to taste.

Check on your fries: they should be crisping up/browning nicely. Test one to see if they're basically cooked. If so, pull them out of the oven and toss the potato fries around. The bottoms of them will be really crispy. Get them all mixed up. Put back in the oven and turn up the heat to max for 5 minutes. Watch them like a hawk. Get them super crispy then pull them out.

Serve a couple of handfuls of fries on a plate, salt with sea salt or whatever you've got on hand. Put a dollop of the spicy chick on top with a load of sauerkraut, pickles and cheese. Pepper again and dig in. Hopefully there are leftovers!

Enjoy!