Glazed Chicken With Porcini And Crisp Potatoes Food

GLAZED CHICKEN WITH PORCINI AND CRISP POTATOES

Steps:

• Soak porcini in hot water (1 1/2 cups) in a small bowl until well softened, 20 to 30 minutes. Lift porcini out, squeezing liquid into bowl, then rinse porcini (to remove any grit) and coarsely chop. Strain soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a damp paper towel into a small saucepan and reserve.
• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Cook shallots in 2 tablespoons oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add porcini, chopped thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons Marsala and boil until most of liquid has evaporated, then remove from heat.
• Add honey to soaking liquid in saucepan with thyme sprigs, remaining 2 tablespoons Marsala, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Boil until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs.
• Meanwhile, remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry. Season inside and out with a rounded teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Stuff cavity with mushroom mixture and tie legs with string.
• Put chicken in a small (13-by 9-inch) roasting pan. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour. About 5 minutes before chicken is done, brush with all of honey glaze. If glaze begins to get too dark before chicken is cooked through, loosely cover with foil.
• While chicken roasts, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. In cleaned nonstick skillet, heat remaining 3 1/3 tablespoons oil over medium heat, then add potatoes, stirring to coat. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and potatoes are golden brown all over, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet (do not cover).
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest 15 minutes. Turn off oven and put potatoes in oven to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, straddle roasting pan across 2 burners and add flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth and vinegar, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Boil mixture until reduced by about a third, about 4 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a gravy boat.
• Discard kitchen string from chicken. Scoop out mushroom mixture into a bowl, stir in potatoes, and serve with chicken.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH TRUFFLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat about a tablespoon of fat in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside to cool.
• Combine the thyme and rosemary and rub the mixture over the boned (skinless) side of the chicken. Season the skin side with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons fat in a large ovenproof skillet, over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, brown the chicken, skin-side down until the skin is crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Lay a slice of foie gras (if using) over the thigh of each chicken. Fold the breasts over the thighs so that the breasts sit on the thigh and leg meat and the skin is on the outside. Fit a metal ring over each chicken-half to hold the meat in a compact shape.
• Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast, basting the chicken several times with pan juices. Cook until the thighs reach and internal temperature of at least 140 degrees F. and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to rest for 10 minutes in a warm place.
• Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons the fat from the skillet. Add the mushrooms, truffle oil, and cream and heat over medium-high heat, scraping any browned bits from the pan's bottom. Simmer until the cream reduces enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, then season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Remove the molds from the chicken and arrange on warm plates. Spoon the sauce around the chicken and serve with French green beans, carrots, and ratatouille if desired.

CRISPY POTATO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Coarsely shred the potato. Transfer shredded potato to a bowl of ice water; let stand for 5 minutes.
• Stir together the mustard and garlic; mix well. Rinse chicken and thoroughly pat dry. Brush or spread the mustard mixture evenly on the meaty side of the chicken breast halves. Place the chicken, bone-side down, on a foil-lined 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.
• Drain shredded potato. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels (this step is important); place in a medium mixing bowl. Add olive oil, toss to mix well. Top each piece of chicken with about 1/3 cup potato mixture in an even layer, forming a "skin". Sprinkle lightly with pepper.
• Bake in a 425 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and potato shreds are golden. (If potatoes are not browning, transfer pan to broiler. Broil about 5 minutes or till golden, watching closely.) Sprinkle with desired herb.