Roast Chicken Au Jus with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

 

1 (3- to 4-pound/1.4- to 1.8-kilogram) chicken, preferably at room temperature

1 lemon

1 T. kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 large russet potatoes (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

1 pound green beans

1 carrot

1 small onion

1/2 cup whole milk, plus more as needed

6 T. unsalted butter (or more to taste), cut into pieces

1 cup dry white wine

2 C. hot water

 

Preheat your oven to 45O°F/23O°C (or, if your oven isn’t clean, 425°F/218°C). Rinse your chicken and dry it inside and out (I discard the liver, and reserve the gizzard and heart for the sauce, but feel free to discard all). Zest the lemon, reserving the zest. Put the zested lemon in the carcass of the bird. Truss the bird if you want a gorgeous presentation. The best way to learn to truss a chicken is to watch a video of it. If you do truss, you don’t need to put the lemon in the carcass. Both trussing and inserting a lemon will prevent hot air from circulating inside the cavity, which can overcook the breast. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt; you should have a nice crusty layer of it across the whole bird. Put the bird, breast side up, in an oven-safe skillet and into the hot oven for 1 hour. About 30 minutes after putting the chicken in the oven, begin preparing the rest of the meal. Peel the potatoes and cut them into six or eight even pieces. Put them in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and put the pan over high heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium to maintain a good simmer (but not a heavy boil). Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until you can insert a paring knife into the potatoes with little to no resistance.

Meanwhile, put another saucepan of water over high heat, for the beans. Trim the stem ends from the beans. Scrub or peel the carrot, then cut off the ends. Cut the carrot into ribbons using a vegetable peeler (or slice it thinly; the thinner the pieces, the better the flavor of the jus). Peel and thinly slice the onion. When the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander or strainer and set them aside. In the same pan, combine the milk, 4 T./60 grams of the butter (or more to taste), and a four-finger pinch of salt and return it to the stovetop over medium heat. When the butter is nearly melted, add the potato chunks and mash them with a masher until smooth (you can also pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into the pot if you want perfectly smooth mashed potatoes). Stir to combine all the ingredients, taste them, and add more salt if they need it (they usually do). Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside. Just before pulling the chicken from the oven, put the beans in the boiling water and cook until tender, 5 to 10 minutes or as you like them. (Not sure if they are done? Do what chefs do: Taste one.)

Remove the chicken from the oven. Pull the chicken out of the pan, leaving behind any skin stuck to the bottom of the pan, and place it on a cutting board with a moat or on a plate (the bird will drop juices as it finishes cooking). Add the heart and gizzard to the pan, if using. Put the pan over high heat and allow the juices to reduce in the fat for a minute or so. Cut the wing tips and wing flats off the bird. Add them to the pan (or eat the flats as a treat while you cook; if you eat them, add the bones to the skillet if you wish). Add the carrot and onion to the pan. Stir them to coat them with the chicken fat and cook till they’re tender, another minute or two. To make the jus, add the wine to the pan and bring it to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged spoon. Stir until all the wine has cooked off and the fat has begun to crackle again. Add 1 cup/240 milliliters of the hot water. Cook this off as you did the wine, until virtually all the liquid is gone, then add the remaining 1 cup/240 milliliters hot water, bring it to a boil, and turn off the heat. When the beans are done (and this may happen while your jus is reducing), drain them and return them to the pot, then add the remaining 2 T./30 grams butter (or more to taste). Salt them and add the reserved lemon zest. Reheat the potatoes if necessary, by returning them to medium heat and adding a few T. or so of milk until they are the consistency you like. Cut the chicken into six pieces, taking each breast off along with the wing drumette, and each leg, then cutting them into drumstick and thigh pieces. Serve the chicken with the potatoes and beans. Strain the sauce into a bowl for the table or simply spoon the sauce straight from the pan, without the vegetables, over the chicken.

 

Variations: Green Beans> Brussels, Roasted Broccoli; Mashed Potato> Baked Potatoes, Twice Baked, Potato Skins; Au Jus > Gravy, Tarragon Sauce; Salsa Verde,

 

Leftovers: Chicken Salad, Chicken Pot Pie, Overnight Stock, Chicken Noodle Soup, Tortellini en Brodo