Sunday always seems like a good day for a big, home-cooked meal.  So, this past Sunday I included this recipe in my grocery list for the week, and tried to invoke my inner Julia Child and whip this one up.  I read that while Meryl Streep was making the movie Julie and Julia, this was her favorite of the dish of the famed Ms. Child.

It did take some work but I must say the end result was fabulous.  The smell in the kitchen alone was worth the effort.  And, I tried to “C.A.Y.G” (my Mom’s “Clean As You Go” phrase) in order to not have a big cleanup.

I served this with roasted fingerling potatoes.  I simply bought a bag of them, washed and tossed them with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  I placed them in the oven when there was an hour left of cooking time.  It couldn’t have been simpler.

I don’t believe I’ve cooked with tarragon before.. it’s wonderful.  The flavor of the gravy was divine.  I did use fresh tarragon that I found in the produce section of my grocery store.

Poulet Poele a l’Estragon (Casserole-Roasted Chicken with Tarragon)
courtesy of Julia Child

Serves: 4 people

Estimated roasting time: 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes for a 3-pound bird.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

3-pound ready-to-cook roasting chicken
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon of dried tarragon

Season the cavity of the chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Insert the tarragon leaves, or sprinkle in dried tarragon. Truss the chicken. (Julia does this with a big knitting-type needle and twine. I am not so fancy, and tried Martha Stewart’s way to do it simply with cooking twine/string and no needle.) Dry it thoroughly and rub the skin with the rest of the butter.

A heavy fireproof casserole just large enough to hold the chicken on its back and on its side
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil, more if needed

Set the casserole over moderately high heat with the butter and oil. When the butter foam has begun to subside, lay in the chicken, breast down. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes, regulating heat so butter is always very hot but not burning. Turn the chicken on another side, using 2 wooden spoons or a towel.

Be sure not to break the chicken skin. (Um…. yeah… have you tried to turn a slippery big bird with wooden spoons or a towel? I ended up using 2 spatulas… swearing a bit.. and breaking the skin)

Continue browning and turning the chicken until it is a nice golden color almost all over, particularly on the breast and legs. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Add more oil if necessary to keep the bottom of the casserole filmed.

3 tablespoons butter, if necessary

Remove the chicken. Pour out the browning fat if it has burned, and add fresh butter. (I did do this. My old butter looked pretty dark.)

1/2 cup sliced onions
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Cook the carrots and onions slowly in the casserole for 5 minutes without browning. Add the salt and tarragon.

1/4 teaspoon salt
A bulb baster
Aluminum foil
A tight-fitting cover for the casserole

Salt the chicken. Set it breast up over the vegetables and baste it with the butter in the casserole. Lay a piece of aluminum foil over the chicken, cover the casserole, and reheat it on top of the stove until you hear the chicken sizzling. Then place the casserole on a rack in the middle level of the preheated oven.

Roast for 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes, regulating heat so chicken is always making quiet cooking noises. Baste once or twice with the butter and juices in the casserole. The chicken is done when its drumsticks move in their sockets, and when the last drops drained from its vent run clear yellow.

Remove the chicken to a serving platter and discard trussing strings.

Brown Tarragon Sauce
2 cups brown chicken stock, or 1 cup canned beef bouillon and 1 cup canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch blended with 2 tablespoons Madeira or port (I used Madeira. I had it on hand from a favorite mushroom soup recipe)
2 tablespoons fresh minced tarragon or parsley
1 tablespoon softened butter

Add the stock or bouillon and broth to the casserole and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up coagulated roasting juices. Then skim off all but a tablespoon of fat. (I have a gravy separator… I adore it. It’s by OXO brand and I use it every Thanksgiving)

Blend in the cornstarch mixture, simmer a minute, then raise heat and boil rapidly until sauce is lightly thickened. Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more tarragon if you feel it necessary. Strain into a warmed sauceboat. Stir in the herbs and the enrichment butter.

To serve
Optional but attractive: 10 to 12 fresh tarragon leaves blanched for 30 seconds in boiling water then rinsed in cold water, and dried on paper towels

Pour a spoonful of sauce over the chicken, and decorate the breast and legs with optional tarragon leaves. Platter may be garnished with sprigs of fresh parsley or — if you are serving them — sauteed potatoes and broiled tomatoes.

Recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child (Knopf, 1961).

~M