Saturday, April 08, 2006
Roast Chicken with Garlic Gravy and Browned Onions
It's a new week and the holiday is over. Our friends have gone back home and I'm back at work. And while I'm less than happy about that, there is a positive side to it all: I am back at home in my own kitchen, which, after my tour of Munich's countless fine food shops, is full of very nice things to cook. As soon as I was home from work I headed off to the stove. The weather was still fairly lousy, so I decided against the fish and opted for something more substantial instead - roast chicken legs with garlic gravy and browned onions served with Jenny's baby cauliflower and creamy mashed potatoes.For the chicken:
2 chicken legs (as usual, you can use any parts of the bird you like best. If you are cooking for a larger number of people, just use a whole chicken)
1 tbsp butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste
½ onion, cut into wedges
8 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly crushed
2 to 3 sprigs of thyme
For the gravy:
1½ tbsp butter
1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped
5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp flour
100 ml white wine
200 ml chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
For the mash:
3 large floury potatoes, peeled
20 g butter
4 to 5 tbsp milk or cream (more if you like softer mash)
salt to taste
For the cauliflower:
12 small heads of baby cauliflower (alternatively, 12 medium cauliflower florets)
2 tbsp butter
5 tbsp water
salt to taste
For the onions:
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, halved and then thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Brush the chicken all over with butter, then rub with salt and pepper. Place upside down in a roasting tin. Scatter the thyme, onion and garlic around it. Roast for about 20 minutes, then turn over the chicken, baste with the pan juices and return to the oven.
For the gravy, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add the onion and fry until golden, about 10 minutes. Now add the garlic and continue frying until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the flour. Fry, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a thick, golden paste, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in half of the wine and bring to the boil. Then add the chicken stock and stir until smooth. Bring to the boil again, reduce the temperature and simmer gently for another 10 to 15 minutes.
For the mash, cut the potatoes into quarters, put in a medium sized pan over medium heat and bring them to the boil in salted water. Cook until they are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, mash and beat them with the butter and milk or cream. Season to taste with salt.
In the meantime, get the onions started. In a medium frying pan or shallow saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When it is beginning to bubble, add the onion rings and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat if they seem to brown too quickly.
For the baby cauliflower, melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and fly, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the water, reduce the heat to medium low and cover with a lid. Stew until the cauliflower is just starting to go tender.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the roasting tin together with the thyme, onions and garlic. Keep the chicken and garlic warm while you finish the gravy. Discard the rest. Put the roasting tin over a moderate heat. Deglaze with the remaining wine and about 50 ml water. Stir until all the pan juices and the nice brown crust that forms in the tin have dissolved into the liquid. Bring to the boil and allow to reduce slightly. Add the liquid to the gravy and bring that back to the boil.
To serve arrange a portion of chicken in the centre of a plate, surround with a few spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes, the peeled, roasted garlic cloves and a few cauliflower florets and spoon over the gravy. Top the mash with the browned onions.
Christine at 11:08 pm
