Book: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A pure classic! Bilbo’s reluctant adventures beyond his own hobbit home are full of thrill, terror, friendship, and trust. I read it aloud recently to my older two, and they were completely enthralled the entire time and didn’t want me to put the book down.
But I had to because I was itching to recreate the kind of meal a hobbit might enjoy. I felt so cozy reading about Bilbo’s home, like I was warming my toes by the fire and smelling all the wafts of good food while it sizzled, baked, and bubbled to perfection. But adventure awaits, and nothing will be accomplished if we just bask in the warmth of the hearth! Except, maybe a crackly, herby roast chicken, hearty gravy, and a pile of beautifully green speckled vegetables.
Here’s my version of a roast chicken with root veggies and a brilliant gravy with a little less added fat and a lot more flavor inspired by a roast chicken and gravy recipe from oakden.co.uk, which, by the way, makes super cool looking traditional reproductions of English bakestones, something I never knew I needed until now! (I wonder if TSA would consider it a weapon or a carry on?)
Herb Roast Chicken and Stovetop Root Vegetables
Course: Dinner, Supper, TeaCuisine: English, HobbitishDifficulty: Intermediate6
servings1
hour1
hour30
minutesIngredients
- Compound Butter
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
6 Tablespoons minced fresh herbs
(I use any combination of sage, rosemary, chives, thyme, oregano, parsley, and garlic)1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
- For the Chicken
1 whole chicken, 4-5 lbs
1 lemon
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
- For the Gravy
Pan drippings and pan vegetables
1 Tablespoon butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- For the Stovetop Root Vegetables
3 Parsnips, peeled, quartered, cored, and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 large turnip, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into 1 inch cubes
reserved herb butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Compound Butter
- Blend all the herbs, salt, and pepper into the butter. Roll into a 6 inch log in a sheet of plastic and refrigerate until needed. (Try to give it about half an hour in the fridge to firm up.)
- Roast Chicken
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Put the roughly chopped vegetables on the bottom of a 9×13 pan or a roasting dish of similar size. Rub the olive oil over the vegetables. Pour the stock into the vegetables. Set aside.
- Loosen the skin of the chicken breasts by gently sliding your finger between the breasts and skin. Be careful not to tear the skin. Slice half of the compound butter into 8 rounds and slip them under the loosened breast skins. (Return the unused herb butter to the refrigerator for the Root Vegetables.)
- Place the chicken, breast side down, on the oiled vegetables. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze both halves over the chicken and vegetables, then stuff the lemon halves in the bird’s cavity. Brush the skin that faces up with a bit of butter or olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Roast the chicken at 450 degrees for 1 hour, then decrease the temperature to 400 degrees and roast for an additional 15-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the thickest part in the thigh reaches 160 degrees F. The timing depends on the size of your bird and your oven. If the skin is browning too much, tent loosely with foil.
- To Make the Gravy
- Remove the chicken to a board and tent with foil. Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
- Skim off as much of the fat as you can from the pan drippings and set aside. Blend the drippings with the roasted carrot, onion, and celery together. (This is a good time to use a stick/immersion blender.) Once blended, set aside.
- In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of the skimmed chicken fat. Once melted, sprinkle the flour over the fat and cook for a couple minutes on med-low heat. Pour in the 1 cup of stock and whisk until the flour and stock have combined. Reduce temp to low.
- Holding a fine mesh strainer over the skillet, pour the blended vegetables through the strainer. Use a spoon to coax the mixture through. Discard any veggie remains left in the sieve.
- Turn the temp to medium and whisk the gravy until it’s bubbly and smells divine. Season to taste.
- The Stovetop Root Vegetables
- While the chicken roasts, put all the vegetables into a large pot and pour the olive oil in. Toss to coat.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the vegetables. Cover the pot and steam on med-high for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Gently scoop the root vegetables into a large serving bowl, avoiding the water in the bottom of the pot. Thinly slice the remaining half of the compound butter and place it over the vegetables, giving it a minute to melt. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir, then serve with the roasted chicken and gravy.
Notes
These recipes are adapted from the aforementioned oakden.co.uk, and Tyler Florence‘s root vegetables.