Before the holidays I was making great progress on clearing out the fridge, freezer, and pantry. When my husband goes to the store he tends to stockpile like the stores will just up and close one day. The holidays wiped out any and all progress. Today I did a major detox of the food situation. I hate to throw away food, but I just can’t continue to have pie, cake, cookies, ice cream, snack mix, and other various goodies in arms reach. Or mouths reach is more accurate. We also have a ton of meat piling up in the garage freezer from the out meat csa.
The appetizers I made for New Year’s Eve called for at least four different fresh herbs. I had those to use up before they went bad, two half empty bottles of red wine, a chicken, and I had just run across my clay cooker in my hellish adventure known as cleaning the basement. That all combines to make a drunk chick in a clay pot (recipe follows). Voila, dinner! It was tasty, very hearty and perfect in this cold weather.Back to our regular routine tomorrow, I both dread and welcome it. I have enjoyed the less frenzied pace the last week and actually found it made me more productive than ever. I made a ton of progress in our basement, not that YOU could tell. We unloaded 3 TVs, two dressers, 1 Nordic Track, hot water heater, and a computer monitor into the alley. Threw an ad up on Craigslist’s free section and it is all gone except the dresser and the Maganovox console TV (though someone did take the innards). We also removed all signs of Christmas from the house and stored it neatly in the basement. Just the outdoor lights to tackle. Not too bad for a days work, especially considering I still can not bend down without wincing in pain. Sitting in my desk chair should be a real treat.
- 3 Sprigs Thyme
- 3 Sprigs Rosemary
- 10 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 1 1/2 c Dry Red Wine
- 3 slices Bacon
- 1 lb Red Potatoes Halved
- 12 oz Baby Carrots — 2 Cups
- 8 oz Boiling Onions — Small
- 1 T Butter — Melted
- 8 oz Mushrooms — 2 Cups
- 1 t Salt
- 1 t Pepper
- 1 T Cornstarch
- Place 3 cloves garlic, thyme and rosemary in cavity of the chicken. Place in ziplock bag. Pour in wine and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
- Soak top and bottom of pot in cold water for 30 minutes.
- cook bacon until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserve drippings.
- Drain pot. Put chicken in pot breast side up. Add wine, bacon pieces, and sprinkle chicken with half of salt and pepper. Cover with top, place on bottom shelf in cold oven.
- Set temperature at 450 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
- About 30 minutes before chicken is done, in a shallow baking pan toss potatoes, carrots, celery root, onions, and remaining garlic with margarine and 1 tablespoon reserved bacon drippings and remaining salt and pepper.
- Place on upper shelf in oven, cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, cook 5 more minutes, until tender and lightly brown.
- When chicken is done, remove from oven.
- Remove chicken to platter; pour cooking liquids into sauce pan, skimming off the fat. Spoon vegetables into clay pot, place chicken back on top. Return to oven without cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, until skin is brown and crisp.
- Meanwhile, stir cornstarch into cooking liquids; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
- Serves 6, serve chicken and vegetables in clay pot with sauce on the side.
