Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy
I am about to shock the pants off of those of you that know me well. If I didn't have a photo to prove it; you probably wouldn't believe me. For my third recipe this week, I chose Garlic Roasted Chicken. I am not talking about chicken breasts, which I can usually handle preparing, I am talking about a whole chicken that I seasoned and stuffed myself. For those of you that are not familiar with my anti-chicken stance, I have only eaten chicken one time in the past 13 years and that was because I was a judge for a cooking contest. There was no concrete reason for my initial disinterest in eating chicken, but after this many years, it has become a habit. I have been contemplating preparing chicken for Brad and Olivia for the past few weeks but I was putting it off. My final pursuasion occured when I was innocently leafing through one of my french cookbooks and I found the following recipe for Garlic Roast Chicken.
Ingredients:
3 whole heads of garlic
1 (4- to 5-pound chicken); I used a free-range all natural chicken from PCC Market
4 rosemary sprigs
1 lemon, sliced
sea salt, to taste
reshly ground black pepper, to taste
olive oil for pan
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine, plus more as needed
bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Break garlic cloves away from bulbs, place in small saucepan, cover with water and simmer gently with lid on for 30 minutes. Cool garlic in water. Drain garlic cloves but don't throw water away. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully ease skin away from chicken breasts. Place sprig of rosemary and lemon slices between skin and meat on each side. Stuff cavity with remaining rosemary and lemon slices, along with garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle roasting pan with olive oil, place chicken in pan and roast according to weight: 20 minutes per pound, then 20 minutes extra. Transfer chicken to carving board and keep warm while making sauce. Place roasting pan over low heat on stove, add flour and whisk well. Slowly pour in reserved garlic water, whisking constantly. Add most of white wine, bring to boil and adjust consistency with extra wine if desired. Pass through sieve into saucepan, add parsley and bring to simmer. Carve chicken and serve with sauce.
First of all, this chicken smelled heavenly while cooking in the oven; even for a non-chicken eater. Second, I served it to Brad, Carl and Olivia and it went over like gangbusters. I sucked it up and took one bite and I have to say that it was tasty. I am not converted but if I was a chicken eater, this is a dish I would prepare again. I grilled a slice of thin pork loin for myself and topped it with the sauce. I loved the sauce! There is something about white wine that raises the flavor quality of a dish. White wine definitely works well with garlic and fresh parsley.
I decided to cook a second recipe from the same french cookbook as a side dish for the chicken. You may have noticed that I have been preparing a lot of vegetable-centric dishes lately. The reason is two-fold; 1) this is a fabulous time of year for fresh vegetables and 2) I have been working out with a trainer twice a week so I have been trying to eat as healthy as possible. I fell off the wagon for this recipe. Okay, I willingly jumped off the wagon but you know what I mean. The side dish I chose is Boulangere Potatoes. In the tradition of many wonderful french recipes, butter is a crucial ingredient in this dish. Recipe follows:
1 lemon, sliced
sea salt, to taste
reshly ground black pepper, to taste
olive oil for pan
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine, plus more as needed
bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Break garlic cloves away from bulbs, place in small saucepan, cover with water and simmer gently with lid on for 30 minutes. Cool garlic in water. Drain garlic cloves but don't throw water away. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Carefully ease skin away from chicken breasts. Place sprig of rosemary and lemon slices between skin and meat on each side. Stuff cavity with remaining rosemary and lemon slices, along with garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle roasting pan with olive oil, place chicken in pan and roast according to weight: 20 minutes per pound, then 20 minutes extra. Transfer chicken to carving board and keep warm while making sauce. Place roasting pan over low heat on stove, add flour and whisk well. Slowly pour in reserved garlic water, whisking constantly. Add most of white wine, bring to boil and adjust consistency with extra wine if desired. Pass through sieve into saucepan, add parsley and bring to simmer. Carve chicken and serve with sauce.
First of all, this chicken smelled heavenly while cooking in the oven; even for a non-chicken eater. Second, I served it to Brad, Carl and Olivia and it went over like gangbusters. I sucked it up and took one bite and I have to say that it was tasty. I am not converted but if I was a chicken eater, this is a dish I would prepare again. I grilled a slice of thin pork loin for myself and topped it with the sauce. I loved the sauce! There is something about white wine that raises the flavor quality of a dish. White wine definitely works well with garlic and fresh parsley.
I decided to cook a second recipe from the same french cookbook as a side dish for the chicken. You may have noticed that I have been preparing a lot of vegetable-centric dishes lately. The reason is two-fold; 1) this is a fabulous time of year for fresh vegetables and 2) I have been working out with a trainer twice a week so I have been trying to eat as healthy as possible. I fell off the wagon for this recipe. Okay, I willingly jumped off the wagon but you know what I mean. The side dish I chose is Boulangere Potatoes. In the tradition of many wonderful french recipes, butter is a crucial ingredient in this dish. Recipe follows:
Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds baking potatoes2 onions
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus softened butter for dish
few thyme sprigs
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, heated
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes and slice very thin using a mandoline or food processor. Slice onions in same way. Butter shallow baking dish and make layers of potatoes and onions, with thyme leaves (stripped from stalks), salt and pepper sprinkled over each layer. Finish with layer of potatoes and try to make a neat overlapping pattern with them. Using the flat of your hand, press down potatoes firmly.
Pour in hot stock. Cut butter into little pieces and dot top with them. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes. Potatoes should be soft all the way through and top layer golden brown.
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, heated
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes and slice very thin using a mandoline or food processor. Slice onions in same way. Butter shallow baking dish and make layers of potatoes and onions, with thyme leaves (stripped from stalks), salt and pepper sprinkled over each layer. Finish with layer of potatoes and try to make a neat overlapping pattern with them. Using the flat of your hand, press down potatoes firmly.
Pour in hot stock. Cut butter into little pieces and dot top with them. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes. Potatoes should be soft all the way through and top layer golden brown.
Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy
Okay, these potatoes are ridiculous! How can something so simple be so perfect? The top layer was a light golden color and the bottom layers were tender and rich. The potatoes melted in my mouth. I don't know that I have ever eaten potatoes that melted in my mouth but I am willing to go there again for sure.
As a final note, I used rosemary, garlic, walla walla sweet onions and thyme from my garden for the recipes. I appreciate that my garden is providing us with so many ingredients this summer. I can't wait to add even more vegetables next year. I think my space planning will improve so I should be able to include carrots, more onions, different types of peppers and additional varieties of lettuce.
Recipe Sources:
Garlic Roast Chicken (Poulet a l'Ail)
"My French Kitchen" by Joanne Harris
Page 105
Boulangere Potatoes (Pommes Boulangere)
"My French Kitchen" by Joanne Harris
Page 164
As a final note, I used rosemary, garlic, walla walla sweet onions and thyme from my garden for the recipes. I appreciate that my garden is providing us with so many ingredients this summer. I can't wait to add even more vegetables next year. I think my space planning will improve so I should be able to include carrots, more onions, different types of peppers and additional varieties of lettuce.
Recipe Sources:
Garlic Roast Chicken (Poulet a l'Ail)
"My French Kitchen" by Joanne Harris
Page 105
Boulangere Potatoes (Pommes Boulangere)
"My French Kitchen" by Joanne Harris
Page 164
I thought I read this wrong...Kiersten cooked and ate chicken...I am so proud :) It looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteOkay, you are using the term "ate" loosely. I literally took the smallest bite ever only AFTER I dissected it to make sure there were no veins. You know me! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, looks awsome, chicken is not of your bandwagon, exept that delish chicken sauce. Plus those potatoes look yummy, I have to say it looks complicated. Was the garlic overpowerin at all? I thought I read heads there?
ReplyDeleteThe garlic was actually just right for this recipe. I was worried three heads would be too strong but once they were cooked, the flavor was perfect. The potatoes were awesome. I could definitely taste the butter. :)
ReplyDelete