Onion and Fennel Braised Chicken with Brown Butter and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Onion and Fennel Braised Chicken with Brown Butter and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Slow cooked Sundays are pretty common around here, especially on days like today when a winter storm rages outside. There's nothing better than weathering out the storm on a relaxed afternoon while supper slowly cooks away in the oven, practically unattended. A pot roast or pulled pork are two of our family favorites but slow braised chicken is also a delicious choice.

Sweet onions are best for this dish because the higher natural sugar content lets them slowly soften and caramelize along with the aromatic anise-like flavor of the fennel. Chicken legs and thighs actually work best in this very simple recipe because they don't dry out in the long cooking time but if you are going to use chicken breasts, like in the photo, I recommend starting to braise the onions and fennel first for at least an hour before adding the browned bone-in chicken breasts for the last hour or so.

We often roast garlic to add to our mashed potatoes and on this occasion we also browned the butter that we added to them for an outstandingly delicious version of that side dish classic. Topped with the braised onions and fennel and the tender chicken, it really hits the spot for a cold weather comfort food meal.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Serves 4 - 6

• 2 - 3 pounds of chicken thighs, well trimmed of excess fat and skin
• salt and pepper to season the chicken
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat and brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside.

To the skillet add:

• 3 cloves roughly chopped garlic
• 2 large white sweet onions, thinly sliced (Vidalia onions are a good choice)
• 1/2 large fennel head, thinly sliced

Cook the onions, fennel and garlic for a few minutes until they begin to soften, then transfer them to a  covered dutch oven or medium sized roasting pan. To the pan add:

• 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken stock)
• 4 springs fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 tbsp dry thyme)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Toss together well, cover and cook in the oven for about 3 hours or until the onions and fennel have broken down completely and start to turn brown and the chicken thighs are fall apart tender. Serve the chicken with the braised onion and fennel over Brown Butter and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Brown Butter and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Roast the garlic for this recipe in the last hour that the chicken is in the oven.

• 1/2 head garlic

Cut the half head of unpeeled garlic in half and place on a square of aluminum foil, cut side up. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle on a little olive oil. Bring all sides of the aluminum foil to the center and pinch together to seal. Place in the oven with the chicken for 45-60 minutes until fully softened and cooked.

• 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes

Peel the potatoes and boil slowly in salted water until fully cooked.

To a small saucepan add:

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup butter (only real butter works here)

Melt over medium heat and continue to cook until all the water steams off the butter and the leftover milk solids in the butter start to go brown. At this point the butter begins to smell like caramel.

Mash the potatoes together until smooth with the roasted garlic and brown butter as well as a pinch of pepper to season. You can also add a little cream if you like for extra richness.

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Duchess Potatoes

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Duchess Potatoes

More great side dish ideas is one request often made by our readers and are always a welcome addition to a recipe arsenal. So often we have the same roast chicken, beef or turkey and the side dishes become even more important to add interest to what might otherwise be a rather mundane meal.

As part of a recent Sunday dinner which would do great service as a Thanksgiving or even Christmas dinner, we enjoyed these potatoes with roasted vegetables and a very delicious Lemon Sage Butter Roasted Turkey. The lemon and roasted garlic for these potatoes actually came from roasting the vegetables that we served with it but if you are making this as a side dish for another meal, they are easily roasted on their own.

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Duchess Potatoes

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Duchess Potatoes - golden crusted, creamy duchess potatoes with sweet roasted garlic and a hint of lemon.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 20 - 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients

• 3 lbs red or yellow potatoes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1/3 cup cold whipping cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 roasted lemon, juiced
• 4 cloves roasted garlic
• drizzle olive oil (for lemon and garlic roasting)

Cooking Directions

1. Place garlic cloves in a garlic roaster or just wrap in aluminum foil with a pinch of salt and a light drizzle of olive oil.
2. In a small glass baking dish drizzle a little olive oil then place the lemon, cut side down. Roast with the garlic for 45 minutes or so or until the garlic has softened.
3. Meanwhile, peel and cut your potatoes into chucks and simmer gently until fully cooked and for tender. Drain.
4. Mash the potatoes well and add the butter, juice from the roasted lemon, roasted garlic and salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.
5. Whisk together the egg yolks and whipping cream. Quickly mix into the mashed potatoes. Turn into a greased baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
6. Duchess potatoes can also be baked on a parchment lined baking sheets by dolloping the potato mixture or even piping it onto the sheet in individual servings or smaller sizes to serve 2 or 3 as a serving.

Roasted Garlic w/ Thyme

One of my favorite ways to eat garlic is roasting it.  It’s so flavorful, smooth and sweet like caramelized candy.  Before my gluten-free days, I used to love to smother it over a piece of toasted bread.  Now I love having it as a condiment, it goes well with almost every dish.  Add it into a veggie dish, eat it with a piece of roasted pastured chicken, serve it with some fresh goat cheese and summer stone fruit, the possibilities are endless. 

Roasted Garlic w/ Thyme

Equipment: Small piece of parchment paper, small piece of recycled aluminum foil

• 1 fresh garlic bulb
• 1 tablespoon pasture butter (See Resources)
• 1 sprig fresh thyme (optional)
• Unrefined Celtic sea salt (See Resources)
• Freshly ground black pepper

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.    Remove first layer of outer paper-like skin of the garlic bulb. 

3.    Slice the top of the garlic bulb off so you expose the garlic cloves. 

4.    Place small piece (about 12 inches) of foil on flat surface.  Place same size parchment paper on top of foil.  Place garlic bulb, root-side down in middle of parchment paper.  Season garlic bulb with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Add sprig of thyme on top of garlic.  Place pasture butter on top.

5.     Wrap up the garlic with the parchment paper and foil, making sure the parchment paper does NOT stick out of the foil. 

6.    Set timer for 40 minutes.

7.     Unwrap garlic in oven, enough so the garlic bulb is exposed.  Set timer for about 10 minutes.

8.    Garlic is done when it golden brown and fragrant (sometimes the garlic cloves will just start to pop out of their shell a bit at this point).

9.    Let rest about 5 minutes before serving.  Eat as is, spread on gluten-free bread or crackers, eat with raw cheese and fresh fruit, use with a veggie dish, serve with meat dishes, etc.

Note: If you are roasting something in the oven at 350-375 degrees, the garlic will roast beautifully at these temperatures too.  It will take just a bit longer, but still have the same end result.  That’s one of the great things about roasting garlic is that you can just throw it in with whatever you are baking/roasting.

Blue Cheese Roasted Garlic and Tempura Red Onion Burgers

Blue Cheese Roasted Garlic and Tempura Red Onion Burgers

Roasted garlic? Onions? Blue cheese?

I know...pass the mouth wash, right? Maybe so, but all these pungent flavors combined are so delicious that it might just be worth it! Make one for your significant other too and there won't be any complaints. ;)

Makes 4 burgers

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 beaten egg
• 4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tbsp hot sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled into large pieces
• 4 Kaiser rolls

Mix together all ingredients except the blue cheese. Gently mix in the blue cheese being careful not to break up the crumbled pieces too much; you want them to be as whole as possible. Form the meat mixture into 4 large patties and grill until well done. Serve on fresh toasted Kaiser rolls with your favorite condiments and top with Tempura Red Onions

Tempura Red Onions

Heat canola oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F

Mix together:

• 1 egg + enough whole milk to make 1 cup

Whisk in

• 1 cup flour

Some lumps in this simple batter is just fine. Let batter stand for 10 minutes before dipping

• ¼ inch rings of red onion

into the tempura batter and then dropping them into the deep fryer. Cook for only a few minutes until light golden brown.