Tray Baked Chicken, Squashed Potatoes & Creamed Spinach

Serves 4

Potatoes
700g small red skinned potatoes or new potatoes
few sprigs fresh rosemary
couple of bay leaves
6 cloves garlic

Spinach
bunch of spring onions
3 cloves garlic
few fresh thyme tips
1 whole nutmeg, for grating or ground nutmeg
large knob of butter
400g prewashed baby spinach
100ml single cream
25g Parmesan cheese

Chicken 
dried oregano
sweet paprika
knob of butter
4 x skinless chicken breasts
1 lemon
300g cherry tomatoes
4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
couple of sprigs fresh rosemary

Seasonings
olive oil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Wash the potatoes, then halve lengthways or leave whole if using new potatoes and add to a large saucepan with a pinch of salt. Cover with boiled water, put the lid on and boil hard for around 12 to 14 minutes or until cooked through.
Trim and finely slice the spring onions.  Add to the large shallow pan with a splash of olive oil.  Crush in 3 cloves of unpeeled garlic and add a swig of boiled water.  Pick in the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme, finely grate in 1/4 of the nutmeg or add 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg and add the knob of butter.  Leave to tick away for around 3 mins, stirring occasionally.
Put a large frying pan on over a high heat.  Get out a large sheet of greaseproof paper and sprinkle with a good pinch of dried oregano, salt and pepper and paprika, then drizzle over some olive oil and a lug to the frying pan along with the knob of butter.  Lay the chicken breasts on top of the greaseproof paper and roll them in the flavours.  Add to the hot pan and fry for 4-5 mins, or until golden on both sides.

Pile the spinach into the pan with the spring onions and leave it to wilt.  Keep stirring so it doesn't catch.
Get out a nice roasting tray, quarter the lemon and put it in the tray along with the tomatoes.  Tip in the chicken breasts and any juices from the pan, lay the bacon on top of the chicken.  Put the frying pan back on a medium heat and add the sprigs of rosemary to the pan and move them around so that they get coated in the juices.  Pop them into the tray, then whack the tray under the grill for at least 14 mins.

Check the potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them steam for a couple of mins.  Add a couple of lugs of olive oil, leaves from a few sprigs of rosemary and the bay leaves to the empty frying pan.  Put the potatoes on top of the herbs in a flat layer, drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle over some salt.  Crush in 6 unpeeled cloves of garlic, then turn the heat up to high.  Get a flat lid from a smaller pan and really press down so you burst and squash the potatoes.  Leave to colour, then toss after about 3 mins and squash down again.

Pour the cream into the spinach.  Turn down the heat and finely grate in the Parmesan.

Keep checking, squashing and turning the potatoes, to brown all over and serve.

Tips
I used new potatoes and still halved them as they would have taken much longer than 12-14 minutes.  I used garlic puree as I didn't have any garlic bulbs and I also used normal streaky bacon instead of smoked as I don't like smoky things.  I used normal paprika as well instead of sweet as that's what I had in the cupboard.  I would wait a lot longer in the process of things to wilt the spinach as it only takes a couple of minutes.  I had to turn mine off and heat it up again at the end.

Verdict
I know I always say the dishes I cook are really nice but they are!  This one was gorgeous and much easier than some of the other meals I've been making.  Steve's plate was clean within minutes of me dishing it up.  Will definitely make this one again.