POULET ROTI WITH WILD MUSHROOMS
Recipe from "Recipes 1-2-3" Reproduced by permission from Viking.
Copyright © 1996 by Rozanne Gold

Serves 4 to 6

Nothing is more satisfying than a classic roast chicken, and this version, sauced with woodsy porcini mushrooms, rules the roost.

• 1 whole 4-pound chicken
• 1 cup porcini mushrooms
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Wash the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Save the neck and gizzards, except for the liver. Salt and pepper the chicken evenly and sprinkle salt and pepper in the cavity.

Soak the dried porcini in 2 cups of very hot water for 20 min. Drain them, saving the soaking water. Saute the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of the butter for 3 to 4 minutes. Fill the cavity of the chicken with the sauteed mushrooms. Truss the chicken and rub it with 1 tablespoon of butter. Place the chicken in a heavy, shallow casserole and roast for 1 to 1 1/4 hours basting often.

Meanwhile, put the gizzards and neck in a small pot with 1/2 cup water and the mushroom liquid, strained through a fine sieve. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes until the liquid is reduced to 1 1/4 cups. Pour the liquid through a strainer and discard the gizzards and neck.

Remove chicken from the oven, untruss, and put on a platter. Scoop the mushrooms out of the chicken and out them in a roasting pan with the reduced mushroom juices. Reduce by one third. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk in 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce emulsifies. Cut the chicken as desired and cover with the wild mushroom
sauce.

ADD-ONS:
Add 1/4 cup ruby port to the juices in the roasting pan while reducing.

WINE SUGGESTIONS
A velvety, easy-drinking merlot would be a lovely way to integrate the flavors and body of this dish. If white is more your liking, now's a good time to remember what great Burgundy is all about.

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