sunday dinner

So it was passover this weekend, and I was actually left out of all the fun this year as everyone is in Toulouse while i’m alone with the dog in Paris….so I was deprived of the very major blog event of the sephardic seder….next year.

Here in Paris, on a chill, rainy sunday I decided to roast a chicken with some fresh sage and spring vegetables.  I have a lot of onions on hand these days, so I thought roasting onions and leeks with the chicken would make a really nice rich compliment.  Asparagus, and a bright spicy watercress salad gave the meal a crisp greeness that we’re craving in spring, and a fat slice of morbier, a firm, subtle cheese from the Jura, with a signature stripe of blue down the center wrapped it up nicely.

French chickens are really the best. A Poulet de Landes or a Poulet de Bresse are really good choices, and obviously free range organic, etc….I tend to go with small-ish birds since I think they taste better, so if I have more people, I roast more chickens. This one was 1,6kg or about 3.5 lbs, really good for 2 or 3 people.

 

The first thing you do is rinse and pat dry.  I then reach in and separate the skin from the breast with my hand…..be gentle so not to break the skin here.

This photo is blurry, since I took it while I had one hand in the bird, but this is basically what I mean about lifting the skin off the meat….gently.

Take some unsalted butter, and slice it into pieces. Put the butter under the skin of the bird. Salt lightly. Next i put about 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced under the skin and between the wings and thighs. 

I’ve got a nice sage plant on my windowsill, so I added some fresh leaves under the skin, between the wings and thighs, and a bit in the cavity.  Using kitchen string, tie up the thighs and wings, so the bird is nice and compact.

Then rub the bird down with olive oil, salt and pepper it, and put it in the roasting pan.

I sliced onions and leeks and placed them all around the bird, olive oiled them, and gave the whole dish a good sprinkle of fennel seeds.

ready to go…….put the chicken in an oven preheated to 180/350 degrees, and roast for about 1 hour, or until the juices from inside the thigh run clear. I generally baste the chicken a few times and flip the onions while roasting. 

The onions and leeks caramelized so beautifully, and became tender and sweet.

Now, remove the chicken and the vegetables from the pan, and place the pan with all the juices and fat on the stove to deglaze.  I deglaze this simple “jus” with a bit of broth though white wine is nice too.  Add a bit of broth to the pan, and over med. heat, stir, with a fork, and dissolve all the brown crusty bits around the edges and bottom of the pan. The jus should turn a nice rich brown, reduce a bit, and serve with the chicken.

I served this chicken with the caramelized leeks and onions obviously, and with some fresh asparagus.  Which i simply boiled in some salty water with a splash of olive oil for about 10 minutes,

 or until just tender….

 

 

 

We matched it with a Côtes du Rhône of no great pedigree, but which perfectly complimented the rich, savory bird.

A watercress salad is the best way to finish after a roast chicken, always.  I serve mine with nothing but olive oil and a little salt. Watercress is a rebellious green that is unruly on a fork, and spicy to taste.

 

and dessert……….fromage!