Chicken 'n' Chips with jalapeño mayonnaise

• 4 boneless corn-fed chicken drumsticks
• 1 tsp five-spice spice mix (alternatively, make a mixture of equal parts cloves, star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, Szechuan pepper and black pepper and use 1 tsp of this)
• Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• some flour
• 1 tbsp mineral water
• Salt
• good frying oil, e.g. peanut oil and/or clarified butter

For the chips:
• 600 g potatoes, preferably waxy
• a little sesame oil
• 3 tsp fine salt
• ½ tsp fine sugar

For the jalapeño mayo:
• 100 g mayonnaise
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp jar of jalapeños
• Sriracha Chili Sauce extra hot

➍ For the jalapeño mayo, blend 100g mayonnaise with 1 tbsp jalapeños and 1 tsp sesame oil using an immersion blender. Now the preparations are complete and the grill can be fired up. Fill the charcoal basket in the Monolith grill with charcoal and light a good bed of embers in the center, place the griddle plate on top, and heat it up slowly. Shortly before grilling, bread the inside of the chicken drumsticks. To do this, whisk the egg with 1 tbsp sparkling water and a pinch of salt on a plate. Place some panko breadcrumbs on a second plate. Now lightly flour the meat side and shake off any excess. Then dip the floured side in the whisked egg yolk, let the excess drip off briefly, and finally place it on the panko breadcrumbs and press lightly. Leave the skin side unbreaded!

➎ Add a little cooking oil to the griddle and fry the chicken drumsticks over medium heat, breaded side down, for about 6 minutes, until the breading is golden brown. Since the breading absorbs the oil, you can gradually add a little more cooking oil or clarified butter. Next, turn the drumsticks over and finish cooking them skin-side down. Again, it's best to cook them slowly. On the large Monolith griddle, the temperature decreases towards the edges. So it's best to start a little further out and move them towards the center as needed. This way, the subcutaneous fat melts, the skin becomes beautifully crispy, and the meat remains wonderfully juicy.

➏ While the chicken drumsticks are cooking, slowly roast the potatoes on the griddle until golden brown. This cooks a bit faster than the meat, so place them a little later and towards the edge. It's crucial that the griddle or plancha isn't too hot at the beginning. Brown everything slowly over low heat for perfect results! Serve the chicken drumsticks with the potatoes and jalapeño mayo – for those who like it spicy, add a dash of sriracha chili sauce!

Stephan Stohl: “Sometimes you just need junk food. Juicy chicken drumsticks with crispy skin and breading, golden-brown potatoes, and a tangy mayonnaise. If you like, add a fiery kick – and there you have it: soul food. A key aspect of this dish is seasoning before grilling. You get extra flavor intensity if you briefly toast the spices beforehand. If you don't have the right spices, you can simply use a five-spice blend.”