Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 (3-1/2-pound (1.5-kg) whole chicken
- 1 whole clove garlic, smashed
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (2-inch) (5 cm) sprig fresh rosemary
- 15 sage leaves
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 2 pounds (900 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) slices
- .
- Cranberry Gravy:
- Neck, heart, and gizzard from the chicken
- 1/2 onion, peeled and sliced
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 clove garlic, bashed, peeled, and sliced
- 10 peppercorns
- 1 (2-inch) (5-cm) sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
- 1-1/2 cups cranapple juice, divided
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1-1/2 tablespoons arrowroot mixed with 3 tablespoons cranapple juice (slurry)
Preparation:
The Chicken:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Wash the chicken inside and out and drain. Rub the inside with the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff the herbs into the cavity and tie the legs together. Place on a rack in a roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken and the sweet potatoes. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 1-1/2 hours. After 1 hour, put the sweet potatoes in the pan and let them bake for the remaining 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken and sweet potatoes to a carving board, reserving the cooking juices in the pan.
The Cranberry Gravy:
In a saucepan, combine the chicken parts, onion, cloves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, chicken stock, salt, and 1 cup of the cranapple juice. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
After the chicken has been removed from the oven, finish the gravy by pouring a little of the strained gravy liquid into the roasting pan to deglaze it. Then pour the pan residue into a fat strainer. Pour the defatted juices into a medium-sized saucepan with the rest of the strained gravy liquid, add the remaining 1/2 cup of cranapple juice and the dried cranberries, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the arrowroot slurry, return to the heat, and bring to a boil to thicken and clear, about 30 seconds.
To Serve:
Carve the chicken into thin slices and nestle them beside the sweet potatoes, ladled with the gravy. Steamed broccoli florets and stalks would complete the picture.
Yield: 4 servings
Source: Graham Kerr's Kitchen by Graham Kerr (Putnam & Sons)
Reprinted with permission.
