2009 November « Layer Cake Wines

As I write this, the smell of rosemary is permeating the air. It’s such a calming and gorgeous scent, but, coupled with tinges of garlic that is just getting warm in the oven, the smell is just heaven.

Today’s pairing is for the last bottle of Layer Cake Malbec I have. There’s a little more around, but, after tasting it for the first time a year ago, the 100% Malbec from Mendoza is just hitting it’s stride. Let’s put it this way, just the smell alone of roasting chicken is a perfect pairing for what has evolved into a very robust glass of wine, Layer Cake Malbec. So my pairing is one of the land where the wine was borne. A simple roasted chicken with mirepoix top heavy in garlic and rosemary.

Ingredients:
3-5 pound Chicken Whole
4 Spanish Onions
4-6 Heads of Garlic
6-8 Carrots
1 Bunch Rosemary
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
Olive Oil, a little virgin, but not too pure or it will burn and can be over kill
Unsalted butter

~ Roasting Pan
~ Cutting boards X2 (NEVER PUT RAW CHICKEN ON A SURFACE YOU WILL USE FOR OTHER PREPARATIONS).
~ Mixing bowl, salad bowl or any bowl that has enough room for your cut mirepoix

Preheat your oven to 450F

Technique:

As your oven is heating, you should be able to clean, dress and season your bird. I always start by rinsing off the chicken in ice cold tap water and removing (in the sink the neck and giblets that are in the chicken). Allow to dry for a moment on some paper towels, but, you DO NOT WANT TO PUT YOUR CHICKEN ON YOUR CUTTING BOARD. I typically use one board for the raw chicken and then place in the sink immediately. There is no room for error on this.
To prepare your mirepoix:

~ cut your onions into four wedges
~ cut your carrots into nice size chunks (2 inches long). If the carrots are very big, you may want to cut them in half (length wise) first
~ cut the garlic heads in half

I don’t peel my mirepoix/aromatics; I like the rough side and use the roasted vegetables as a piece of dinner. I prefer to have the skins involved, but that’s up to you.

In bowl, place your cut mirepoix and coat with Olive Oil, season with salt and black pepper and put to the side.

Chicken:

~ Lay breast side up in a roasting pan. (Yes, you can truss your bird, but, I am at home and the chef isn’t watching, so it’s optional)
~ Season the entire bird (including the cavity) with salt and black pepper. Don’t forget the wings…you know you eat those first.

OPTION: In a professional kitchen, I would typically lift the skin covering the breast meat and put a mixture of chopped rosemary and garlic so the fat would carry that flavor throughout the flesh. Today, I am not that professional, so it’s up to you.

~ Once the chicken is seasoned, pour the bowl of mirepoix around the body of the chicken. I like to fill the cavity at this point with a little bit of everything including a few sprigs of my fresh rosemary.

~ Add as much rosemary as you prefer to the mixture; I tend to leave it right on the ‘sprig’ as opposed to removing the leaves. It makes it easier to remove at the end and by that time, the rosemary will have done it’s job.

Drizzle olive oil over the entire bird; not too much, she should just shine once you rub it into the flesh.

Place in the oven.

It’s going to take close to an hour for the bird to cook. Typically, I start the oven at 450F to

Crispy skin is the real treat with a roasted chicken

brown the skin and render fat, then turn it down to 350F to finish, but, you are welcome to roast at 375F for 1 hour and 15 minutes (give or take).

With this type of Fall cuisine, I tend to add two sweet potatoes to the oven while roasting the chicken. You are going to need to have a starch with your meal and honestly, sweet potatoes and yams are nearly a perfect food.

They will do better at the lower temperature so if you chose to crisp your skin at 450 and then reduce the heat, add the potatoes when you turn down the oven. Otherwise the sugars will caramelize and burn in the sweet potatoes. But, once done, you really only have to cut the potato open and scoop onto the plate.

The chicken is done when the skin between the leg and body ‘cracks’ when you pull it or the internal temperature is 165F. It’s protocol to allow any meat to rest before carving, so I would advise allowing the chicken to cool a bit and the juices to disperse while preparing your plates.

Scoop a healthy portion of your yams/sweet potato into the middle of the plate.

Place your favorite roasted mirepoix around the plate as they have been roasted, seasoned and brought to perfection with the drippings from the chicken

Carve slices of chicken breast and place on top of the sweet potato

Serve!

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