Saturday, March 18, 2006
Roast Winter Vegetables
Winter seems endless this year. Just as we thought spring was about to arrive it turned cold again. After a few days of sunshine the trees and bushes were beginning to sprout and the daffodils had come out. And then the weather turned again, the rain and slush and nastiness returned and it was as if the flowerbeds had never been there. I find that even more depressing than if the sun had never come out at all. I finally dared to hope that I would no longer have to fight the elements twice a day, freeze in my own living room every evening and eat root vegetables and cabbage almost every night.I admit the latter was more a hope than an expectation. Jenny had told me on Saturday that they had had ground frost and many of her young plants looked less than healthy after that. This obviously did not include the greens and roots, because our fridge was still full of them. So, despite having eaten what might broadly be classified as 'proper dinners' for weeks now, we decided to have another roast for dinner tonight. In order to give the old dish a bit of a new twist, I roasted the vegetables alongside the chicken tonight. This gives them a sweet, sticky crust on the outside while making the inside go soft and tender. The result was another heart-warming dinner that made us forget about the rain and the cold for a few hours.
For the chicken and sauce:
2 chicken legs or breasts on the bone (or, obviously, as much of the kind ofchicken as you think you will need for 2 people)
2 tbsp olive oil
a few springs of thyme
a few springs of rosemary
2 to 3 small bay leaves
¼ lemon, cut into wedges
½ glass white wine
200 ml chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
For the roast potatoes:
8 to 10 small floury potatoes, scrubbed and cleaned of imperfections, but unpeeled
1½ tbsp goose or duck fat
For the roast vegetables:
1 large carrot, cut into large chunks
10 to 12 mushrooms
½ onion, peeled and cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly crushed
(These are, as usual, mere suggestions that were dictated by my fridge. Other vegetables that can be used for roasting are pumpkin, butternut squash, sweet potato, parsnips, swede and beetroot, or, for a mediterranean, summery touch, bell peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and zucchini)
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Remove any excess fat from the chicken. Brush the skin with olive oil and put the chicken pieces on a large baking tray (large enough to hold the meat, potatoes and vegetables). Place in the hot oven and roast for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, boil the potatoes for about 5 to 8 minutes until they are just starting to go tender. Drain and leave open to allow the steam to escape. Lightly crush the potatoes to break the skin, but not damage the spud. I first tried to use a masher, but the potatoes were just too dainty and fell apart at the lightest touch (or did I maybe push too hard?), so I've switched to lightly scoring the spin and then gently pushing down on the potato with the tips of my fingers. Return to the saucepan, add the duck/goose fat and cover with a lid. When the fat has melted, stir well to coat all potatoes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the heat to 180 degrees. Add the potatoes along with any excess fat to the pan, and allow to rest. Arrange the harder vegetables (carrots, pumpkin, parsnips, swede, beetroots, celeriac and the like) around the chicken, toss to coat with fat and tuck in the thyme, rosemary and
bay leaves as well as the lemon. Return the pan to the oven.
After about 20 minutes, baste the chicken, turn the vegetables over and add the remaining, softer vegetables (garlic, onion, peppers, aubergines, zucchini and the like). Again toss to coat with fat, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes. If you are serving anything else with dinner, now is the time to prepare it. As you can see from the picture, I didn't have many roastable vegetables left, so I also steamed some black kale.
When the chicken is cooked through, the potatoes are golden and the vegetables are soft, remove them from the pan and set aside to rest in a warm place. To make the sauce, put the roasting tray on the stove over medium high heat. When the fat begins to sizzle, deglaze with the wine. Then add the stock, then pour the whole lot off into a small saucepan. Boil, swirling occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes until thickened and reduced. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Christine at 10:56 pm
