Chicken and egg croquettes

Serves 4

Chicken and egg croquettes can be served as a brunch or lunch dish or even as a tea-time meal with the kids (Jason Lowe)

This is a good dish to use up leftover chicken or you could simply boil some chicken legs or thighs and keep the stock for a soup. Serve this as a brunch or lunch dish or even as a tea-time meal with the kids. Also, you can save the potato skins and cut and fry them as a snack with sour cream and/or guacamole.

400-500g floury potatoes for mashing
200-250g cooked chicken meat, chopped into small pieces
2tbsp chopped parsley
3-4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
2-3tbsp flour
2 free-range eggs, beaten
50-60g fresh white breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Vegetable or corn oil for frying

To serve

4 free-range hens' eggs
A couple of good knobs of butter
8 anchovies in oil, drained and cut in half lengthways
2tbsp large capers, rinsed

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Bake the potatoes in their skins until soft, about 1 to 1½ hours depending on size. Remove from the oven, cut in half and leave to cool for a while. Scoop out the flesh and mash it quite coarsely with a masher or fork.

Mix the chicken meat, parsley and spring onions with the potato and season to taste. Divide the mix into four and mould into round patties about 2cm thick.

Meanwhile, have three dishes ready, one with the flour, one with the beaten egg and the third with the breadcrumbs. Pass the patties carefully through the flour, shaking off any excess, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs; a fish slice is useful for this if they are a bit soft, or you can put them in the freezer for an hour before coating them. Leave them in the fridge until required.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the patties for 3-4 minutes on each side on a medium heat until golden and crisp. Transfer to a tray with a fish slice; keep warm in a low oven. Lightly fry the eggs, seasoning the whites.

To serve, transfer the eggs on to the patties, then on to warmed plates. Melt the butter in the egg pan until it is beginning to brown, then add the capers and remove from the heat. Arrange the anchovies on the eggs and spoon the butter and capers over.