Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat oven to 200°C, 180°C fan, gas 6. Trim the fennel bulbs, reserving the fronds to garnish. Cut each in half vertically and then each half into 4 wedges. Cook in boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes until tender. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side in a large bowl. Keep the water in the pan boiling.
2. Add the sliced potatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves to the boiling water and cook for about 8 minutes until tender. Drain and add to the bowl of fennel with 2 tablespoons of oil. Season and spread out in a large, shallow roasting tin. Roast for 15 minutes or so while you brown the chicken.
3. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season the chicken legs with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then place them skin-side down in the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until they are browned. Turn the chicken legs over and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and thyme to the pan and cook for a minute or two.
4. Mix the tomatoes with the potatoes and fennel in the roasting tin and place the browned chicken on top. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the frying pan and stir to release any caramelised bits, then drizzle the pan juices all over the chicken and veg.
5. Put the roasting tin back in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the skin is crisp. Serve scattered with the fennel fronds, squeezing the soft garlic from the skins as you eat.