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Prep time
15 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour 30 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
It’s hard for me to think of a more perfect meal than the simple roast chicken with french fries I had at Le Repaire de Cartouche in Paris, a restaurant run by the legendary Rodolphe Paquin. Rodolphe has one of the coolest cellars in Paris, so his food is intentionally unfussy, to allow the wine to shine through. I’ll never forget eating his chicken and dipping fries in this silky, umami-rich mushroom sauce while drinking a bottle of Philippe Jambon’s La Grande Bruyère, a Chardonnay made from grapes grown in Mâcon. A classic French thing to do (and something I highly recommend) is to spend Sunday with your friends drinking good wine and then eating a roast chicken with french fries for a late lunch.
This is such a versatile dish to pair with wine, and it works with white wine and light reds. If you want to stay in France, try Chardonnay from Burgundy or Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley for white wine, or Gamay from Beaujolais or Poulsard from the Jura for a lighter-weight red.To get the timing right, so you have hot fries ready once you’ve carved the bird, I recommend heating the frying oil before the bird goes in the oven (this can take a while), then start the first fry as soon as you put the chicken in the oven. Let the fries hang out draining on paper towels while the chicken cooks, then get a buddy to do the second fry while you’re making the mushroom sauce. It’s a two-person job BUT it ensures you have hot fries when you’re ready to eat!
Reprinted with permission from Foodheim: A Culinary Adventure by Eric Wareheim with Emily Timberlake copyright © 2021 Photographs copyright © 2021 by Julia Stotz. Art copyright © 2021 by Duke Aber. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. —Food52
Ingredients
- Chicken & Mushrooms
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1
(3- to 4-pound) whole chicken
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Kosher salt
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Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
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1 handful
mixed fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, or tarragon), tied together with butcher’s twine
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7
garlic cloves; 4 smashed, 3 thinly sliced
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1 cup
white wine
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1 tablespoon
unsalted butter
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1
shallot, finely chopped
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8
cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
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Freshly ground black pepper
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1 tablespoon
all-purpose flour
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1/2 cup
heavy cream
- French Fries
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2 1/2 pounds
scrubbed but not peeled
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Neutral oil, for frying
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Kosher salt
Directions
- Chicken & Mushrooms
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Preheat your oven to 475°F.
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Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before cooking. If the chicken comes packaged with giblets, discard the giblets (or freeze them for gravy). Forty-five minutes before you plan to roast the chicken, season it all over with salt—make sure to get inside the cavity too—to allow the salt time to draw out excess moisture from the skin. Place the chicken breast-side up on the rack of a roasting pan and wick away any excess moisture with paper towels.
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Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the herbs and then place the herbs and smashed garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Truss the chicken by tying its legs together so they don’t splay open. Keep it classy!
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Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, rotating the bird once halfway through, then turn the oven temperature to 325°F. Continue cooking until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a paring knife, another 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your bird. (If the skin looks like it’s starting to burn or if the breast is close to doneness before the thighs and legs are ready, cover the hot spots with aluminum foil to slow down cooking.) Remove from the oven when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 150°F and the thigh reads 160°F. (This is lower than the USDA guidelines...but remember, the chicken will keep cooking once you take it out of the oven and may go up an additional 5°F to 10°F.) Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
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Place the roasting pan with the chicken drippings over medium heat. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any of the tasty, crusty bits stuck to the bottom. Once the brown bits have been loosened, about 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
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In a separate sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are browned and soft, about 5 minutes more. Add the sliced garlic, a pinch of salt, and a generous crank of black pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved deglazing liquid, stir to combine, sprinkle the flour evenly over the mushrooms, and stir again to combine. Once the flour gains some color, add the cream and cook until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
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Carve the chicken and transfer to a serving plate. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl to pass alongside the chicken and french fries. Start dippin’ those fries!
- French Fries
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Cut the potatoes into ½-inch batons, about 3 inches long. As you cut them, transfer to a bowl of ice water to release some of the starch and keep them from oxidizing.
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Fill a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with 3 to 4inches of oil and heat to 325°F. Set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Line a bowl with a clean, dry towel or paper towels.
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Working in two or three batches, add the potatoes to the oil—make sure the potatoes can swim around comfortably and aren’t clumping together—and cook until they just begin to brown, about 4 minutes. using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the fries to the prepared baking sheet to drain. (The potatoes can rest like this for about 30 minutes.)
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When you’re ready for the second fry, increase the temperature of the oil to 375°F. Again, working in two or three batches so as not to crowd the pot, re-fry the potatoes, this time until they’re nicely browned and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the prepared bowl, season liberally with salt, and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
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