12343 Serves 6 Wed Aug 06 01:04:45 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 04 06:09:23 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12343 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:09:23 GMT A perfectly roasted chicken can be simplicity itself, elegant in concept and rustic in flavor. Basically, this is just a roasting chicken stuffed with slices of dry country bread (cut from large round loaves called tourtes) that have been rubbed with garlic and then sprinkled with salt, thyme, and walnut oil. The bread slices are called la frotte in the Corrèze. The special quality of this dish derives from the taste of the barding fat, which when melted is used as a basting medium, resulting in a rich, flavorful, crisp skin. After the chicken is roasted, the pieces of bread are pulled out and allowed to soak up the delicious juices in the pan.

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Position rack on lower oven shelf and preheat oven to 425°F. Remove all the fat from the chicken and reserve for rendering, if desired. Wipe out the cavity with a moistened paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Trim the liver and heart. Peel the gizzard and chop it into small pieces. Discard the skin from neck. Chop the neck bone into 1- to 1½-inch pieces.

In small bowl, combine the oil, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the thyme; mix well. Brush each bread slice with the garlic oil. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the bread slices; then tuck in the liver and heart. Truss the chicken loosely and pat dry with paper towels. Cover the breast with a thin layer of the pancetta and tie in place.

Melt the poultry fat or butter in a large flameproof casserole over low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and leek, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped gizzard and neck bones; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Roll the trussed chicken in the vegetable and bone mixture. Nestle the chicken upside down in the casserole, scattering some of the vegetables and bones on its back. Transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Turn the chicken onto its side. Cover with generously buttered parchment paper, then with a tight-fitting lid; roast for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken onto its other side, cover, and roast an additional 20 minutes. Set chicken breast side up and remove the pancetta. Continue roasting, uncovered, until golden brown, basting occasionally with the juices in the pan, about 20 minutes. The chicken is done if the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced or a meat thermometer registers 160°F.

Remove the chicken to a carving board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest. Quickly strain the cooking juices, pressing down on the vegetables and bones to extract all their flavor. Degrease the cooking juices. Deglaze the casserole with 1 cup water and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits that cling to bottom and sides of pot. Return degreased cooking juices to the pot and boil down to about 1¼ cups. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning.

Untie the chicken and spoon the stuffing onto a heated serving dish. Ladle about half the sauce over the stuffing to saturate it. Carve the chicken and arrange the pieces over the wet stuffing. Pass the remaining sauce separately.

]]> http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 1 whole roasting chicken, 5 to 5½ pounds

]]> Salt and freshly ground pepper

]]> 2 tablespoons French walnut oil

]]> 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh garlic

]]> 1 sprig of fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

]]> 6 slices of country-style bread, cut ½ inch thick, crusts trimmed

]]> 2 to 3 thin slices of fatty pancetta

]]> 2 tablespoons rendered chicken, goose, or duck fat, or 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter

]]> 1 medium onion, chopped

]]> 1 large carrot, chopped

]]> ½ leek (white and tender green), thinly sliced

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