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Style Magazine

Dinner Date – Jan. 2015

Dec 22, 2014 04:24PM ● By Style

RED WINE ROAST CHICKEN

 

My Little French Kitchen: Over a Hundred Recipes From the Mountains to the Market Squares and Shores of France By Rachel Khoo, photographs by David Loftus
(Chronicle Books, 2014, $35)

  • 2/3 cup red wine
  • 6 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
  • 3 sprigs marjoram, leaves picked, or 1/2 tsp. dried
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (about 3-1/2 lb.)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 18 oz. baby potatoes, washed
  • 3 onions, quartered
  • 6 carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup water

Mix together the wine, tomato paste, thyme, marjoram and vinegar. Season the chicken with plenty of salt and pepper, then place in a sealed Ziploc bag with the wine mixture. Shake the bag to make sure each piece is well coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Place the potatoes in a saucepan of cold water, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes, then drain in a colander.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the onions, carrots, and cooked potatoes in a large baking dish or tray and pour in the water.
Arrange the chicken pieces, skin-side up, in a layer on top of the vegetables. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Cover with a sheet of parchment or foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the parchment and baste the chicken with the cooking liquid. Roast, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, or until the skin is crisp. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Tips: Buying a whole chicken will always be more affordable. If you aren’t up for dissecting it yourself, ask your butcher to cut it into pieces for you. If there’s no knife-wielding butcher about, you can always cheat and go for chicken thighs.
If you’re unsure whether the chicken is cooked through, pierce the flesh with a sharp knife; the juices from the chicken should run clear.
Get ahead: The vegetables and chicken can be prepared up to 1 day in advance, then simply pop it all in the baking dish and cook.

JAM CELLARS 2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

 

JaM Cellars started in 2009 with the goal of giving wine lovers of all ages something easy to appreciate: big fruit, soft tannins and reasonable prices. Named after owners John (“J”) and Michelle (“M”), their winemaker, Rob Lloyd, obtained his master’s degree in enology at UC Davis and was the former winemaker at the renowned Rombauer Vineyards.
You can see their vision come to fruition with the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. At $20 a bottle, it delivers a nice bold flavor and a not-too-dry finish. Extremely rich and smooth, with full fruit flavors and a hint of oak, it pairs beautifully with this month’s Red Wine Roast Chicken.
Heather Zamarripa, Executive Chef, 36 Handles Pub & Eatery