Chicken drumsticks in white wine with Serrano ham and sage

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 chicken legs
• 250 g ham (Serrano)
• 2 handfuls of sage, fresh leaves
• 200 g cream, fresh
• 1 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 150 ml white wine, dry
• Butter, in pieces, ice-cold
• olive oil
• Pepper, white from the mill
• Sea salt
• Chili, from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Split the chicken thighs at the joint, trimming any excess skin and fat around the edges. Pour olive oil into a roasting pan and place it in the oven to heat. Push sage leaves under the chicken skin, season the chicken pieces with pepper and salt sparingly. Wrap the Serrano ham around the chicken pieces. Place the chicken pieces in the hot olive oil, garnish with sage leaves, and increase the temperature to 200°C. After about 15 minutes of roasting (when the chicken thighs are visibly simmering), add the white wine. The thighs should be about one-third submerged in the liquid. After about 30 minutes—the time depends on the size of the thighs—remove the thighs from the oven, pour the liquid into a saucepan, and return the thighs to the oven, reducing the heat. They’re probably cooked through by now; you just want the skin and the ham to remain nice and crispy. Pour in the stock and cream, bring to a boil, and reduce slightly. Strain out any sage leaves that have been evaporated. Season the sauce with Worcestershire sauce, pepper, chili, and salt to taste. The Serrano ham means it usually doesn’t need any more salt. Thicken the sauce with ice-cold butter. We serve it with spaghettini.