Welcome to a new featured series on Mangia McCann: Top Chef Tuesdays! I’m a huge fan of the show and every Tuesday I’m going to come up with a challenge based upon the prior week’s episode. I will try and keep spoiler alerts to a minimum. Be sure to check out my Instagram TV page for associated video content.
Week 9’s Elimination Challenge had the cheftestants not only make a meal, but they had to write a recipe for the average home cook to follow. I figured, after launching this blog about 9 months ago, this would be a no-brainer. I’ve learned so much since my first recipe and I think I’ve gotten better in the process. I’ve been told to make my recipes less narrative and have less steps (still working on that). The problem is, I like to have my recipes completed as quickly as possible and need to write out various steps that are happening simultaneously.
The cheftestants had the benefit of using Top Chef alums. I had my fiancé give my recipe a go. I highly suggest you check out the IGTV episode. It’s pretty hilarious and there are a ton of great tips in the wrap-up of the video. The main takeaway is, try and make things easier on yourself and keep trying. You only get better at cooking (or anything, for that matter) through repetition and practice. This dish is so good, you don’t even have to nail the recipe like I did to have a tasty meal.
Provençal Style Cornish Hen with Vegetables and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Cornish Game Hen
Small head of garlic + 1 clove
1/2 cup Fresh peas
Leek, white and light green part only, sliced lengthwise and rinsed clean
Carrot, peeled and 1/4-inch diced
2 mushrooms, sliced 1/8-inch thick
2 russet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup cream
1/4 cup of white wine
Half of a 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes
Fresh thyme, sage and rosemary
6 tbsp butter
1 basil leaf, chiffonade (see note at end of recipe)
Preheat the oven to 400. Cut off the pointy third of the garlic bulb and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Wrap up in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Reserve.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water with 1/4 tsp salt and add in the peas and cover. Reduce the heat to medium. Prepare a small bowl of ice water. Cook the peas for about 5 minutes. Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked peas to the ice water to cool. After a few minutes, drain the peas and reserve.
While waiting for the water to boil, clean and prepare the other vegetables, placing the cut potatoes in a medium sized pot and covered with about 2 inches of water. Add in a tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. When the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes.
While the potatoes start to heat up, prepare the hen by draining it and, using kitchen shears, cut out the back bone. Flip the chicken over on the cutting board (cut-side down) and using your hand, press the bird flat. Using a large chef’s knife, split the chicken lengthwise in half through the breastbone. Then trim off the wings. Reserve the backbone and wings for later use in stock.
Heat a 12-inch skillet, with 2 tbsp olive oil, over medium-high heat, until the oil is shimmering. Using paper towels, blot the bird dry and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the bird in the skillet skin-side down and reduce the heat to medium, season the meat side with more kosher salt and black pepper. After 4 minutes, use tongs to flip the hen and continue cooking for an additional 4 minutes. Then remove the hen to a platter to hold.
Add in the leeks, carrots and mushrooms to the skillet, along with a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, pour the cream into a small saucepan and squeeze the roasted garlic into the cream. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add a sprig of rosemary and thyme to the cream and gently heat. Let the cream reduce.
Mince the remaining clove of garlic, and stir into the skillet of sautéed vegetables, until fragrant. Then, pour in the wine and add a sprig of thyme and sage to the pan. Reduce the wine slightly. Then add in the tomatoes, crushing them by hand when adding to the skillet and adding in about 2 tbsp of the tomato sauce from the can. Season with an additional pinch of salt and black pepper and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the reserved peas. When the tomato juices start bubbling, add the chicken back to the skillet (along with any accumulated juices), skin-side up, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes.
While the hen cooks and the potatoes finish, drain them in a colander, and process in a ricer back into the pot. Return the potatoes to the stove, over low heat and stir the potatoes to cook off any residual water. Stir in 4 tbsp of the butter, until melted. Then remove the herbs from the garlic cream and pour the garlic cream over the potatoes. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the garlic. Taste the potatoes for any seasoning needs. Then stir in the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Turn off the burner. Cover the pot and reserve the potatoes over the warm burner.
Return to the cooking hen and use a thermometer to check the temperature of the thigh and breast meat (be sure to check both halves of the bird). If the dark meat is between 160 and 165, remove from the skillet to a platter and place in the warm oven.
While the bird rests in the oven, remove the herb sprigs from the skillet, and taste the vegetables for any seasoning needs.
To serve, place a portion of the garlic mashed potatoes on a plate. Place one half of the hen on the plate next, resting some of the chicken on the mashed potatoes. Then, spoon on some of the cooked vegetables. Roll the basil leaf up and slice thinly, then sprinkle the basil on top of the chicken and vegetables.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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