Recipe by Chef Jonathan Bardzik
Roast chicken is at the top of my list of comfort foods. This high temperature roast is relatively quick, delivering tender, juicy meat and crisp skin. The floral lemon and fruity green olive flavors are wonderfully paired with this week’s buckwheat, peas, fennel and red cabbage salad shoot blend.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 lemon, quartered
3-4 sprigs flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white wine
1 cup green olives like Castelvetrano
1 shallot, halved and peeled
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbs cold butter
White wine vinegar
2-3 cups buckwheat, peas, fennel and red cabbage salad shoot blend
Directions:
(1) Preheat the oven to 450°F.
(2) Prepare chicken for roasting: Pat chicken dry inside and out. Season cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff with lemon, garlic and parsley. Tie legs together to close cavity. Tie string around center of bird, binding wings to the body. Rub softened butter all over the skin and season with salt.
(3) Roast chicken: Place chicken, back side-up, in a 12” oven-safe skillet. Scatter olives and shallot around chicken and pour in wine. Place chicken in oven and reduce heat to 400°F.
(4) First turn: Roast for 15 minutes and remove skillet from oven. Baste with pan juices, turn chicken on side, propping up with olives if needed, and return to oven.
(5) Second turn: Roast 15 minutes longer and remove skillet from oven. Baste with pan juices, turn chicken on other side, propping up with olives if needed, and return to oven.
(6) Third turn: After 15 minutes (you are now at the 45 minute mark) turn chicken, breast side-up, baste and return to oven. Roast, basting every 15 minutes, until a thermometer in the deepest part of the thigh reads 160-165°F, approximately 30 minutes longer. If pan gets dry add 1/2 cup water.
(7) Rest chicken: Remove chicken, olives and shallot to a platter and tent with foil. Rest for 20 minutes before carving.
(8) Make pan sauce: Strain pan juices, skimming fat. I usually use a fat separator. Return liquid to pan over med-high heat. Add chicken stock and reduce by half, scraping up brown bits. Add any juices that have collected under the chicken and reduce to a thin syrup. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tbs cold butter. Season sauce with vinegar, salt and pepper.
(9) Serve chicken: Carve chicken into quarters and serve with pan sauce and olives over a bed of salad shoots.
TIP: Resting the chicken isn’t optional. This time allows the proteins in the meat to relax, drawing back in moisture. Carve right away and those juices run all over your cutting board, leaving you with dry meat.
Kohlrabi purée with kohlrabi microgreens
Kohlrabi, a cabbage relative, makes a creamy, tender purée that is every bit as comforting and delicious as mashed potatoes. (Although, according to my husband, not a substitute for mashed potatoes.) The microgreens add sweetness and beautiful color to this dish.
Ingredients:
4 medium bulbs kohlrabi, about 3” across
2 cloves garlic, peeled (optional)
1/4-1/2 cup whole milk
2 tbs butter
White pepper
1 cup Purple kohlrabi microgreens
Directions:
Cook kohlrabi: Peel kohlrabi and cut into 1/2 pieces. Add to 4 quart saucepan, cover with water by 2” and add 2 tsp salt. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and partially cover. Cook until very tender, 15-20 minutes.
Purée kohlrabi: Drain cooked kohlrabi and return to pot with milk and butter. Purée with an immersion blender. You can also do this in your food processor. Season with salt and white pepper. Serve sprinkled with microgreens.
TIP: Sometimes I run into really dense kohlrabi that take 30-40 minutes. You’re not doing anything wrong. Be patient. It will get tender.
TIP: White pepper is more floral and less earthy than black. If you don’t have white pepper on hand go ahead and use black. The dish will be delicious either way!
