Coq au vin with potatoes, Roasted Butternut Squash with Turnips

This menu served me well at a dinner party a few weeks ago. It's pictured below in my introduction. I served white and red wine with dinner, but I'd recommend you serve the same wine you used to make the chicken. Traditional French coq au vin is made with the meat of an old rooster, which is unavailable in the mass market. I use dark meat to give a similar  texture to the older bird (more sinews, higher fat content), but any piece of chicken will work. An excellent variation is to remove the potatoes completely and sautee mushrooms with the onions. Feel free to play with the liquid content a bit. My recipe produces a little too much extra sauce to really be useful. In the absence of a Dutch oven, a large stew pot on the stove will produce similar results.

This really is cold weather food. It's heavy, earthy, and really filling. Serve with some crusty bread to soak up extra sauce. I hope you try it and like it.

Coq au vin with potatoes

Serves 6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 - 2 hours

4 chicken thighs

4 chicken drumsticks

1 bottle Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon

3 cups homemade or low sodium canned chicken stock

2 onions, sliced or 2 lbs frozen pearl onions

3 lbs new potatoes

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp chopped rosemary leaves

1 tsp thyme leaves

3 cloves minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven, melt half the butter with half the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken in batches, until browned on both sides, supplementing the oil and butter as necessary.

Sautee the onions and potatoes in the remaining fat, deglazing the pan with the wine and stock. Return the chicken to the pot. Add the herbs and garlic. Cover tightly and allow to cook in the hot oven for 2 hours until chicken is tender.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Turnips

Serves 6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

1 peeled, diced butternut squash. Use large chunks. (frozen not recommended)

2 large turnip roots, peeled of excess and diced in the same size as the squash

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Toss squash and turnips with seasonings, garlic, and oil. Spread on a parchment lined sheet pan in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes until tender, but not mushy. Serve hot.

Alternative technique: Roast for an hour (until mushy) and mash with a cup of sour cream and a few tablespoons of butter. Add cranberries and a dash of nutmeg.