Chicken Basquaise (Basque braised chicken with peppers)

Cut the onions and bell peppers into quarter-inch slices.

Wearing gloves, mince the Espelette pepper or chili pepper and add to taste, going easy.

Use baby potatoes, or turn larger ones into rounded wedges with the tip of a paring knife, following the shape of an egg; hold in water until ready to use.

Separate the chicken thighs from the drumsticks by cutting through the joint; optionally chop off the knuckle to French it, saving the knuckles for stock.

Dredge the chicken in flour, season with salt and sear well on both sides in a hot sautoir with no added fat. Remove the chicken.

Saute the onions and bell peppers about 10 minutes.

Season again with salt, add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook until fragrant; deglaze with white wine and reduce to dry.

Return the chicken with the saffron, paprika, olives, tomatoes and chicken stock and cook about 40 minutes, adding the potatoes halfway through.

At the end take the lid off and finish cooking on low a few more minutes.

Quarter a bell pepper, remove the membranes and seeds, square it off, cut into julienne then 2 mm brunoise; scatter over with chopped parsley.