Stegt Kyllingelaar med Brunede Kartofler

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy ovenproof frying pan or skillet, 28-30cm
• •Wide heavy-bottomed pan for the brunede kartofler
• •Meat thermometer (optional but helpful)

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the potatoes

   Put the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until a knife slides through the center without resistance, about fifteen to twenty minutes depending on size. Drain and let them cool just enough to handle. If you're using new potatoes with thin skins, leave the skins on. If the skins are thick, peel them while still warm. Cold potatoes are harder to peel and harder to coat in caramel later.

   Start the potatoes in cold water, not boiling. Cold water heats the potato evenly from the outside in. Dropping them into boiling water cooks the surface before the center catches up, and you end up with mush on the outside and chalk in the middle.
2. 2

   Season the chicken

   While the potatoes boil, take the chicken legs out of the fridge. Pat them very dry with kitchen paper, both sides, pressing firmly. This is the single most important step for crisp skin. Water is the enemy of browning. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides, pressing the salt into the skin so it sticks.

3. 3

   Sear the chicken legs

   Heat the oven to 200C. Set a heavy ovenproof pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When it shimmers, lay the chicken legs in skin-side down. Don't move them. Let the skin make full contact with the hot surface and stay there for five to six minutes until it turns deep golden and releases on its own. If it sticks, it isn't ready. When the skin lifts cleanly and you see a rich golden crust underneath, flip them over. Add the butter and thyme sprigs to the pan and let the butter foam around the legs for thirty seconds.

   Resist the urge to lift and check the skin too early. Good color takes patience. The fat under the skin needs time to render out, and that rendering is what gives you the crackle.
4. 4

   Roast until done

   Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for thirty to thirty-five minutes. The chicken is done when the juices from the thickest part of the thigh run clear, not pink, and the skin has tightened and deepened in color across the surface. If you have a meat thermometer, you're looking for 74C at the bone. Take the pan out, lift the chicken legs onto a warm plate, and cover loosely. They need ten minutes of rest. The juices redistribute during this time, and the meat goes from good to right.

   Don't wrap the chicken tightly in foil. A loose cover lets air circulate and keeps the skin from steaming soft. Tight foil traps moisture and undoes all your searing work.
5. 5

   Caramelize the sugar

   While the chicken rests, make the brunede kartofler. Set a wide, heavy pan over medium heat and add the sugar in an even layer. Don't stir. Watch. The sugar will start to melt at the edges and turn pale gold. Swirl the pan gently to distribute the heat, but don't touch the sugar with a spoon. Stirring causes crystallization, and crystals turn to lumps. You want a smooth, amber liquid. This takes about four to five minutes. The moment it reaches a deep golden color and smells like toffee, you move to the next step.

   The window between perfect caramel and burnt caramel is about thirty seconds. Stay at the stove. If the color darkens faster than you expect, pull the pan off the heat immediately. You can always put it back. You can't undo burnt sugar.
6. 6

   Coat the potatoes in caramel

   Add the butter to the caramel. It will bubble and spit, so stand back for a moment. Swirl until the butter melts into the caramel and the mixture turns smooth and glossy. Add the boiled potatoes and toss them gently, rolling each one through the caramel until every surface is coated in a thin, gleaming shell. Keep the heat low and turn them for three to four minutes. The caramel will set into a firm glaze as the potatoes cool slightly. The finished brunede kartofler should look like polished amber: sweet on the outside, soft and earthy within.

7. 7

   Make the pan gravy

   Set the roasting pan with the chicken drippings over medium heat on the stovetop. Sprinkle in the flour and stir it into the fat with a wooden spoon, scraping up every dark bit stuck to the bottom of the pan. Those bits are fond, and they carry most of the flavor. Cook the flour for one minute to take away its raw, pasty taste. Pour in the stock gradually, stirring as you go. Add the milk. Let the gravy simmer for four to five minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Season with salt and white pepper. Strain it through a fine sieve if you want it perfectly smooth, or leave it as it is for an honest, homemade texture.

   White pepper, not black. Danish gravies use white pepper because it disappears into the sauce. Black specks in a pale gravy look like mistakes, and the flavor is sharper than you want here.
8. 8

   Bring it to the table

   Arrange the chicken legs on a warm serving dish with the brunede kartofler alongside. Pour the gravy into a warm jug and bring it to the table so everyone takes what they want. This is not a dish you plate like a restaurant. You set it down in the middle of the table and let people help themselves. That's how it's done. That's how it's always been done. Tak for mad.

Chef Tips

• •Buy chicken legs whole, with thigh and drumstick attached. They stay juicier than separated pieces because the bone conducts heat evenly and the joint keeps the meat from drying out at the edges. Ask your butcher if they aren't in the display.
• •The potatoes for brunede kartofler should be small and waxy, not floury. Floury potatoes crumble when you roll them in caramel, and you lose the clean coating. Look for small new potatoes or any firm, smooth-skinned variety about the size of a walnut.
• •If the caramel seizes into a hard lump when you add the butter, don't panic. Keep the heat low and keep swirling. The butter will melt in and the mixture will smooth out. Patience is the only tool you need.
• •A cold pilsner or a glass of simple white wine is the right companion here. This is Tuesday night cooking. Save the serious bottles for the weekend.

Advance Preparation

• •The potatoes can be boiled up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Bring them to room temperature before coating in caramel, because cold potatoes will shock the sugar and cause it to seize.
• •Season the chicken with salt the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge. The salt draws moisture from the skin overnight, which means a drier surface and a crispier result the next day. This is the easiest improvement you can make and it costs nothing but a little forethought.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 470g)