Andolicious

Roast Chicken with Bacon, Potato Carrot Puree, and Simple Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry, inside and out, with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now for this recipe I used a special device manufactured by Weber based on the beer can chicken concept- but for those without special whole-chicken-roasting equipment, simply drink half of a good, canned beer, and add some garlic cloves (preferable crushed or minced) and shove that can up the chicken where the sun don’t shine. For my recipe, I used a few ounces of Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale for a rich, robust flavor in the meat. Hang the strips of bacon by inserting one end in the upper cavity of the chicken, where the neck used to be, and letting the strips rest vertically along the outside of the chicken.

Cook the chicken at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the skin begins to turn crispy. Meanwhile, toss the potatoes, carrots, and onions in 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees, and add potato, carrot, and onion dish and continue to bake for about 80 minutes longer. Occasionally, baste the turkey with the drippings and give the potato/carrot/onion mix a stir. During the last 10 minutes, sprinkle the mix with 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

Test the chicken with a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh- it should read 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Transfer the potato/carrot/onion mixture into a blender and add 1 cup of condensed milk and 1/4 cup of the drippings. Puree, slowly, adding more liquid (chicken stock) if necessary. Don’t go too crazy with the blender- unless it’s a Blendtech- or you might break it. Stir frequently, and if it starts to smell like the motor is burning, you should probably stop.

Mix the salad with the vinaigrette- just enough, but not too much- plate, and enjoy! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom and Gram!