Buffalo chicken wings with celery sticks and blue cheese dip

Method

1. Cut the pointy tips off each chicken wing and discard. Make a slit in the skin on the underside of each wing, then add a drop of Tabasco sauce and rub it into the slit. Put the wings in a bowl with a little more Tabasco sauce and mix well. Chill in the fridge, covered, for at least 1 hour.
2. For the blue cheese dip, coarsely grate or crumble the cheese into a bowl, add 2 tbsp of the mayonnaise and the garlic, then mash with the back of a spoon until almost smooth. Stir in the rest of the mayo, lemon juice, soured cream, shallot and parsley. Stir in the milk if it’s still a little stiff. Spoon into 4 small pots or ramekins, cover and chill.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/ gas 6. Drizzle the wings with a little olive oil and put in a lightly oiled baking tray (see tip). Season all over with salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes on each side until golden brown, crisp and tender.
4. Just before the wings are ready, melt the butter in a large deep frying pan. Stir in the rest of the Tabasco, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and salt to taste. Drop the chicken wings into the sauce and mix well. Serve at the table with the celery, lettuce wedges and blue cheese dip.