I got together with closet Potjie Master Claire Taylor the other day. She's closely linked with Ou Pel "Danie Kotzee". Some say she's the talent behind his potjie skills. Others say her fiery temperament has kept him out in the cold, preparing the perfect potjie on many a chilly night, sharpening his skills into the Potjie Master he is now. I'm not sure.
Anyhoo, I digress. Over a couple of bottles of wine, Claire thought we should attempt a wicked difficult culinary masterpiece of a potjie. And we almost, almost pulled it off! If anything, a wine related misunderstanding caused us to add a bit too much wine to the potjie. Ag. Shit happens.
Still - this one will blow you away. Really delicate flavours and not too tricky.
Chicken and Yoghurt Potjie Recipe
** Potjie500ml Greek Yoghurt2kg Chicken pieces
2 Green peppers, cut length-wise
300g Carrots, peeled and sliced
6 Large potatoes, peeled and quartered
100g Dried apricots
200g Green beans, cut into pieces
150g Mushrooms, sliced
Salt to taste
1 Packet of mushroom soup
** Marinade
500ml Dry white wine
10ml Dried thyme
10ml Grated lemon peel
1 Large onion, finely chopped
5ml Ground black pepper
3 Bay leaves
5ml Dried 'dragon'
Mix all the ingredients of the marinade, pour over the chicken and allow to marinade for 6 to 8 hours (jaaaa, we didn't quite do it for 6 hours, but an hour at least). Heat the potie until very warm and braai the chicken, a few pieces at a time, along with the green pepper until golden brown. Layer the carrots, potatoes, apricots, beans and mushrooms above the meat. Sprinkle the salt over and pour in the marinade (at which point we cocked something up and added another 500ml of wine - don't do that!). Cover with the lid and allow the pot to simmer for approximately 2 hours. If, after this, there is still too much liquid in the pot, mix the soup powder in the sauce and allow the Potjie to simmer for a further 15 minutes (doh, didn't do this).
