Brick Chicken with Strawberry Harissa & Garden Sorrel

SERVES 4

CHEF ARI Weiswasser suggests brining the chicken in a 5%/2.5% salt/sugar brine ratio for an hour then air drying it for 24 hours before continuing with the recipe. At his restaurant he serves the chicken over red fliorani polenta, a single varietal red corn grown in Santa Rosa.

Whole Chicken 1, spatchcocked

Canola Oil 1 cup

Dried New Mexico Chiles 4, stemmed, seeded and torn into rough pieces

Garlic 6 large cloves, chopped

Caraway Seeds 1 Tbs

Cumin Seeds 1 Tbs

Roasted Red Peppers 1 cup, drained and patted dry

Oil-Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes ½ cup, drained and patted dry

White Wine Vinegar 2 cups

Strawberry Preserves 1–2cups

Kosher Salt to taste

Cayenne Pepper to taste

Sorrel Leaves for garnish

1 PREHEAT the oven to 400°F.

2 SEASON the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken skin side down in a cast iron skillet and weight it with a brick wrapped foil. Add the canola oil and cook on the stovetop over medium high heat until well coloured, about four minutes.

3 TRANSFER to the oven and roast until an instantread thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.

4 FLIP the chicken over chicken pieces and add the butter, crushed garlic and thyme and allow to cool for 3 minutes in the pan.

5 TO create the harissa, toast the chiles in oil for three minutes over medium heat.

6 ADD the garlic and spices and cook for two minutes, then add the roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and vinegar and cook for 15 minutes.

7 PROCESS in a food processor unit smooth, season with additional salt and vinegar to taste.

8 ADD an equal quantity of strawberry preserves to the blend.

9 TOP the chicken with the strawberry harissa and garden sorrel leaves.