Chicken and tomato bake

Last weekend, while still carrying a heavy cold, I stupidly booked myself into the dentist in the early morning, spent half a day travelling around on a bus to see the fairy penguin parade at Phillip Island, went to brunch with friends the morning after arriving back from the penguins in the wee small hours, followed by a mini spa treatment I'd booked in ages ago to use up a Christmas gift voucher, then went to the movies with other friends. I must be crazy to book all of this in one weekend - I should have re-arranged all engagements except the treasured time with my friends until I feel fighting fit again. I look forward to catching up on some sleep this week!

This leads me on to the featured dish in this post. Over a week ago, for dinner with my friend Veronica, I made the above-pictured chicken and tomato bake. However, until now, I have been (a) too sick; and then (b) too busy to post about it, and time slipped away. It deserves to be posted though, because it is simple yet flavoursome. The recipe is based on a dish from Jamie's Dinners and you can make it as follows:

4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs with skin on
a handful of fresh basil leaves
6 small tomatoes cut into eighths
1 whole garlic bulb, split into cloves (you can leave the skin on)
1 chopped red chilli
6 small potatoes, quartered
salt and pepper
cooking oil (I used canola)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Rub salt and pepper into the chicken skin to taste, then place on the bottom of a lightly oiled roasting pan. Scatter the basil over the chicken, then place the tomatoes, potatoes, garlic and chilli in the pan. Spray the whole lot lightly with cooking oil, and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked. Before eating the garlic cloves, squeeze them out of the fibrous skins - they pop out easily once baked. Serves 4-6.

This is really simple but rather delicious for a quick dinner. To vary it, you could add whatever other veges take your fancy, or perhaps toss in some olives. Perfect!