Warm Chicken and Potato Salad with Lemon and Elderflower Sauce  Add/Read Comments

There are several things in my life that I can be pretty confident are not going to happen. I'm never going to keep homing pigeons, learn to crochet or become a chimney sweep. I'm hardly likely to perch on the summit of Everest (vertigo; grief Snowdon was bad enough) or walk on the moon. I very much doubt I'll own a penthouse in Hong Kong or run a quaint pub in the depths of the English countryside either. Owning a bistro is hardly likely to happen (a tapas bar in Madrid is far more appealing) nor a Michelin starred restaurant.

Actually I have no idea what a bistro is or how it differs from a restaurant. I'm assuming they are generally smaller and with less formality in both deco and style of food served. A bistro, at least if I ran one, would forgo side plates and such frivolous additions to the 'dining experience'. Under my management of course there would be an award winning, deliciously interesting wine list specifically tailored to the seasonally inspired dishes available.

I never got as far with a wine to match this 'salad' - too pumped on Gin and Tonic I'm afraid. But the locally grown baby potatoes, my own Elderflower cordial and the home grown sorrel leaves are as fresh and as local as you could want. The chicken wasn't but if I had any sort of space equivalent to a garden there would be a chicken run...

Warm Chicken and Potato Salad with Lemon and Elderflower Sauce

There are no specific quantities to this dish - use as many little boiled potatoes as you wish to eat tossed with pan-fried diced chicken breasts. The sauce is the interesting bit. Heavily reduce a quantity of chicken stock (enlivened with several strips of lemon peel and two sprigs of rosemary). Strain before returning to the heat with a hefty slug of cream. Reduce further. Add a slug of homemade Elderflower cordial (also good in the G&T!) to taste and maybe a little lemon juice. The sauce needs to be quite thick; the addition of a knob of butter helps. Pour over the chicken and potatoes and dress with a few sorrel leaves.

If any were available a few quarters of fresh figs would have been added (semi-dried figs are too sweet I thought) to give that 'real bistro' feel; if there is such a thing!

My entry to this months Passionate Cook hosted Waiter event.