Name: Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic and Pecorino Romano Smashed Potatoes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: For the Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic; 3 whole heads of garlic, about 40 cloves; 1 whole chicken, about 3.5 lbs., cut into 8 pieces; kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 tbsp olive oil; 3 tbsp cognac, divided; 1 ½ cups dry white wine; 1 tbsp Herbs de Provence; 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp heavy cream; For the Pecorino Romano Smashed Potatoes; 1 lb small golden potatoes; 4 tbsp salted butter; 3 tbsp heavy cream; ¼ cup pecorino-romano cheese; kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

When my husband and I still had kids at home our Sunday ritual was to make a recipe from a cookbook. We made all sorts of things from Italian to Chinese to French, and just about everything in between. Usually, our oldest decided because she was way more into food and a whole lot less picky than our youngest. (Little did we know at the time that our youngest would go to culinary schools-shocked us.) One of our favorite cookbook authors is Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and this Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic recipe is from her cookbook Barefoot in Paris. It is probably my absolute favorite cookbook ever. There’s nothing crazy exotic in it, just really good recipes all inspired by Paris (one of my favorite cities.)

The first time I ever made this dish I was so surprised. I was a little concerned with adding forty cloves of garlic to a recipe. I thought, well no one is going to be kissing me tonight or tomorrow or probably even the next day. Not only was the garlic not overpowering, but it actually mellowed and sweetened in the sauce. Needless to say, it has become one of our favorite meals. I love to serve this with either mashed potatoes or smashed potatoes. The sauce makes a divine gravy that is exceptional on a pile of creamy, rich mashed potatoes.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic and Pecorino Romano Smashed Potatoes

Since I was already making a recipe with a crazy amount of garlic, I decided to forgo the garlic in the potatoes and opted for a cheesy twist. I used one of my favorite cheeses–pecorino romano. It really makes for some delicious smashed potatoes.

Authorloulousucre

DifficultyBeginner

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic is adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot In Paris.

Yields4 Servings

Prep Time30 minsCook Time40 minsTotal Time1 hr 10 mins

For the Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

3 whole heads of garlic, about 40 cloves

1 whole chicken, about 3.5 lbs., cut into 8 pieces

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp cognac, divided

1 ½ cups dry white wine

1 tbsp Herbs de Provence

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp heavy cream

For the Pecorino Romano Smashed Potatoes

1 lb small golden potatoes

4 tbsp salted butter

3 tbsp heavy cream

¼ cup pecorino-romano cheese

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To make the Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic:

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the pieces of chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the oil/butter with the skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn the chicken with tongs or a spatula; you don’t want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the oil/butter is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and set aside.

Add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the Herbs de Provance. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done, flipping once while cooking.

Remove the chicken to a large platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

To make the Pecorino Romano Smashed Potatoes:

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water over medium-high heat until just fork tender. Drain and return to the pot. Add the butter, cheese, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Smash with a potato masher or large spoon and mix well. Serve warm.

Ingredients