Poulet de Grains Bonne Femme

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6-quart oval cocotte or heavy Dutch oven with lid
• •Sturdy kitchen tongs
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small sharp knife for shaping potatoes
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the chicken

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pat the chicken dry inside and out, then season it lightly with the salt. Use less if the prepared pork is strongly cured, because both the pork and veal gravy will bring salt of their own. Tie the legs together if they splay widely so the bird browns and fits neatly in the cocotte.

   A dry bird browns; a damp one softens in its own moisture. Give the skin a thorough drying before it reaches the butter.
2. 2

   Color the pork

   Use the pork already prepared by Blanchings (No. 273), leaving that separate operation to its own entry. Melt the butter in a 5 to 6-quart cocotte over medium heat, add the pork slices, and fry them until their edges color and their fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Lift the slices out and let them drain. Keep every clear spoonful of fat and every brown mark in the cocotte.

   If the butter races past hazelnut brown toward black, lift the cocotte from the burner and lower the heat. If it has already burned, discard only the blackened fat, wipe out the bitter particles, and resume with fresh butter. Ça se rattrape, but burned milk solids cannot be persuaded into tasting noble.
3. 3

   Brown the chicken

   Set the chicken breast-side down in the pork-enriched butter. Brown it patiently over medium heat, turning with tongs so the breast, legs, and both sides become a deep, even gold, 12 to 15 minutes in all. If the skin clings, wait another minute before turning; properly browned skin releases more willingly. Lift the bird onto a plate once colored.

   The lid will soften the skin later, so this browning isn't an attempt at lasting crispness. Its purpose is flavor, color, and fond. Pale chicken cannot give those back after the cocotte is covered.
4. 4

   Brown the potatoes

   Trim the peeled potatoes into approximate stout cylinders, then cut them crosswise into even 1/2-inch roundels. Perfect tourning is brigade scaffolding; matching thickness is the part that matters. Fry the roundels in the same fat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning until both flat faces show patches of gold. Return the chicken to the cocotte, arrange the pork slices against it, and tuck the potatoes closely around the bird.

5. 5

   Bake under cover

   Cover the cocotte and bake for 50 to 65 minutes, until the potato roundels yield cleanly to a knife and the chicken reaches at least 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part without touching bone, with the thigh nearer 170°F (77°C). If the chicken is ready before the potatoes, lift it out and rest it loosely covered while the potatoes cook for another 10 minutes. If the potatoes soften first, remove them with the pork and let the bird finish alone. Either way, the dish stays whole.

6. 6

   Finish with gravy

   Rest the chicken in the covered cocotte for 10 minutes. Warm the prepared veal gravy until fluid; if using the home equivalent, stir the concentrated veal glaze and water together until smooth. Spoon the three tablespoons over the bird only when you are ready to serve, letting a little run among the pork and potatoes. Taste one potato before adding any further salt, then carry the cocotte directly to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a small chicken rather than a large roasting bird. Its proportions stay close to the source, it browns more readily in a home cocotte, and it cooks through before the potato roundels collapse.
• •Use unsmoked pork belly or salt pork, not smoked bacon. Smoke would dominate the quiet butter, chicken, and veal foundation the entry specifies. The pork must be prepared through Blanchings (No. 273) before frying.
• •A commercial concentrated veal glaze is the practical stand-in for the saucier's veal gravy. Choose one that tastes of roasted veal rather than salt, dilute it to a light pouring consistency, and use only the few spoonfuls called for. This is a final gloss, not a braising liquid.
• •Serve with a lightly dressed green salad and a light red wine such as Beaujolais, or a dry white with enough body for the pork and gravy. The cocotte already contains the meal; it needs no ornamental side dishes.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and keep them for up to three days. Reheat covered at 325°F (165°C) with a tablespoon of water around the potatoes, stopping as soon as the chicken is hot so the breast remains tender.

Advance Preparation

• •The pork may be prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273) one day ahead, dried well, covered, and refrigerated. Bring it out while the oven heats.
• •Shape and slice the potatoes up to two hours ahead, keeping them in cold water. Drain and dry them thoroughly before frying or they will spit, soften, and refuse to brown.
• •The veal gravy or diluted veal glaze may be prepared up to three days ahead and refrigerated. Warm only the amount required just before serving.
• •The complete dish is best cooked shortly before the meal. You can finish the browning and assemble the cocotte up to one hour before baking, provided it remains refrigerated until the oven is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)