of the month... Roast chicken rillettes

IN FRANCE, RILLETTES HAVE REGIONAL VARIANCES WITH A WIDE RANGE OF INGREDIENTS AND TEXTURES. SOME HAVE A FINE TEXTURE, WHILE OTHERS ARE COARSER, AND SOMEWHAT RUSTIC. THIS RECIPE FROM AUSTRALIANS ANDREW MCCONNELL AND TROY WHEELER USES A MIXTURE OF BOTH. AND NOT ONLY IS ITS TASTE AS IMPRESSIVE AS IT LOOKS, BUT GREAT NEWS IS THAT IT CAN BE MADE IN ADVANCE. WOE YOUR GUESTS

SERVES 4

Ingredients

 1.6kg chicken

 4 tbsp olive oil

 1 large onion, finely diced

 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

 1 celery stalk, finely diced

 2 carrots, finely diced

 250ml white wine

 1.5 litres chicken stock

 80g flat-leaf parsley

 4 sprigs tarragon

 4 bay leaves

 8 sprigs thyme

 100g duck fat

 30g chives

 salt and pepper, to season

 toasted bread crisps, to serve

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

2 Drizzle with half the olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Place the prepared chicken in a roasting tray and cook for 50 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3 Meanwhile, prepare the base liquid. Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil, onion, garlic, celery and carrot and sauté for five minutes, or until soft and aromatic. Season lightly with salt.

4 Add the wine to the pan and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, parsley, half the tarragon, the bay leaves and two sprigs of the thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid has reduced by three-quarters (or until you have approximately 500ml /two cups of liquid remaining).

Strain the liquid into another saucepan and add the duck fat, stirring until it is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

5 While the liquid is cooling, remove the skin from the chicken, trying to keep it in the largest pieces possible. Pull the meat off the carcass, shred and place in a large bowl.

6 Place the skin in one layer on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes at 200°C (390°F), or until it is dry and crispy. Take care not to burn or overcook the skin. Set aside to drain on paper towel.

7 Season the meat with salt and pepper and finely chop the chives and remaining tarragon and thyme. Add the herbs to the meat and mix to combine. Add stock mixture and mix until combined.

8 Place the roasted chicken skin in a mortar and pestle and grind until it forms a rough crumb. Fold it through the mixture and season to taste.

9 Line a loaf tin or medium-sized ramekin with baking paper, leaving enough to overhang the edges. Place the mixture in the tin and fold baking paper edges in to cover. Refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight until set.

10 To remove the rillettes from the mould, pull the sides of the baking paper and turn the rillettes out onto a cutting board. It can be enjoyed immediately (otherwise, place in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to one week). The rillettes are best served at room temperature.

Meatsmith: Home Cooking for Friends and Family by Andrew McConnell and Troy Wheeler (published by Hardie Grant, €38.92 from amazon.de) introduces 80 glorious and elegant recipes that include classics like beef wellington and glazed roast duck with a magical touch.