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Sunday Supper: The Accidental Chicken
Last night I cooked a chicken upside down. No, not to serve some satanic cult of poultry, merely because I am scatterbrained. Fortunately, it turns out that I am incapable of ruining a roast chicken and we sat down to a delicious Sunday supper that included steamed baby spinach, sauteed mushrooms, the always-satisfying Dutch-oven no knead bread, and of course unsalted Lurpak butter. You may not want to follow the instructions of a person so foolish as to invert a bird, but if you do here’s how I did it:
Ingredients
- one whole chicken
- one head of garlic
- one white onion
- a quarter cup of extra dry vermouth
- a quarter cup of Dijon mustard
- a quarter cup of olive oil
- sea salt and white pepper
Method
Rinse and pat dry the bird, salt and pepper its inside. Plug up one end with some of the chopped onion and proceed to fill the cavity with the peeled whole garlic cloves and vermouth. Cram more onion in the other end and distribute the rest around the roasting pan. Whisk olive oil into mustard and season with white pepper. Finger paint the chicken with the mixture, then go wash your hands. Sprinkle a little salt over everything, which could include vegetables such as carrots and celery and roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Farenheit for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The juices run clear when completely cooked, though ideally you have a meat thermometer, which I do not. Always rest your chicken before carving.
When I pulled it from the oven it looked golden brown but contorted; it took more moments than I care to admit to realize my mistake. I am pleased to report it was so succulent, flavorful and well-cooked, I just might flip my chicken again. This proved to be a happy aberration, one that resulted in a fatty, fragrant dinner.
