Chicken salad with apricots

Method

1. For the salad: cook the potatoes in a pan of simmering water for 10-15 minutes, or until tender, then drain and leave to cool. Cut the cooled potatoes into 3 slices lengthways and set aside.

2. Soak the dried apricots in a bowl of the verjuice until nicely plumped, then drain, reserving the verjuice.

3. Whisk the reserved verjuice with the mustard powder to make a paste, then add the apricots and leave to macerate for 10-15 minutes.

4. Carve the chicken into breast, leg and thigh then tear the meat off and place into a bowl. Set aside.

5. For the vinaigrette: combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.

6. For the salad: melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until nut-brown, then add a splash of olive oil to stop it from burning and season with salt. Pan-fry the cooked potato slices for 1-2 minutes on both sides, or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

7. Add another splash of olive oil to the pan, the toss the drained apricots in the pan over a high heat until caramelised. Remove and set aside. Add a little more olive oil to the pan, then add the smoked chicken meat and toss for 1-2 minutes or until just warmed through. Return the potatoes and apricots to the pan and toss to mix together.

8. Transfer the chicken mixture to a large bowl, then add the rocket and parsley. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss well to coat. Season with freshly ground black pepper, if desired, and serve.