Potato Chicken Surprise

Peel the potatoes and cut into medium chunks of similar size. I use Sebago or Dutch Cream potatoes but you can use any good quality mashing potato that you prefer. Chop the chicken fillets into bite sized pieces and set aside. Clean the leeks and cut in half lengthwise. Chop finely crosswise. Peel the garlic and chop to a fine dice. Peel the shallots and chop to a fine dice. Chop the white part of the spring onions plus a little of the green part. Cut the makrut lime leaves into half and bruise them by crushing lightly in your hand. Chop the parsley roughly and set aside. Prepare the chillies by removing the stalks and then slicing them in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the seeds as well as any ribs and webbing from the inside as these are very hot. If you have sensitive skin, use gloves. Chop them very finely.

Transfer the potatoes to a saucepan of cold salted water and boil on the stovetop until just ready. Drain and set aside to cool. When cool (about half an hour) place the cooked potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add a little salt and pepper to taste as well as the butter. Use a stick blender to blend the potatoes until smooth and creamy. Cover and set aside.

Place the grapeseed oil into a suitably sized frypan and heat until medium hot. Saute the chicken in batches until lightly browned but not dried out. It can be slightly undercooked really as it will be cooked further in another step.

Place the grapeseed oil in the frypan used to cook the chicken. You might like to wipe it out with some paper towel but this is not really necessary as any chicken juices will add more flavour. Bring the pan to a very low heat and add the spring onions, garlic, shallots and leek. Sweat until the aromatics become translucent but show no sign of colouring or browning.

Preheat the oven to 200 deg Celsius. To the mashed potatoes add the chopped chilli, sauteed chicken, sweated aromatics, markut lime leaves and half of the chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly and spoon into heat proof ceramic ramekins or similar. Place a layer of cheese over the top of each filled ramekin to cover the surface. Place the ramekins into the oven on the middle shelf and cook until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Usually this will take about 15 to 20 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remainder of the chopped parsley as a garnish. Serve immediately while still hot.