TARRAGON HAS A LEGENDARY AFFINITY WITH CHICKEN
treasure with flour to make a thickened ‘gravy’ like my mum did but only to keep it as it is. Sometimes I stir in a glass of white vermouth or a dry and nutty sherry. Often as not, I don’t even bother to do that, instead dipping pieces of bread into the pan and letting them soak up the intensely chickeny liquor. Let me tell you, I’ve cleaned many a roasting tin that way.
Tarragon is the only soft-leaved herb I use in the gravy. About twenty large leaves is enough. This is also the only time I would add cream to the pan. Roasting juices, tarragon and cream being very much the Father, Son and Holy Ghost to a chicken.
A small glass of dry Marsala, stirred in with a wooden spoon as the juices simmer on the hob, always reminds me of Christmas. White vermouth is less sweet, summery even. Once you have let everything bubble, correct the resulting liquid with salt, fine pepper and perhaps the merest squeeze of lemon.
New thinking should probably be discouraged here, but I have recently been pleased with the inclusion of a splash of walnut-hued sherry vinegar to the juices.
Roast potatoes
Of course, I like them to be crisp but also, somewhat contrarily, when they are chewy and crisp on one side and slightly soggy with roasting juices on the other. I have cooked the chicken and potatoes separately, but the latter lacks the sticky sides and toasted edges of those you have had to scrape, reverently, from the chicken’s roasting tin.
Nigel's tip
Over the last decade or so I have boiled my potatoes for around 10 minutes prior to roasting them. You get a softer, fluffier interior that way. And yes, they really should be cooked around the bird, so they swell with its juices. I cannot emphasise the importance of this enough.
Once the bird is resting under its foil, and the potatoes are out, place the roasting tin over a moderate heat and bring the juices to a bubble. Squeeze the creamy interior of the garlic into the tin and discard the papery skins, then mash them into the fat and aromatics with a spoon. Stir in 4 tablespoons of dry (secco) Marsala or white vermouth such as Noilly Prat and the stock.
Now, this is the crucial bit: as the liquid starts to bubble, scrape at the tin with a wooden spatula or spoon, loosening all the jammy, crusty bits of Marmite-like goo from the tin. These are the concentrated meat juices and caramelised sugars that will enrich your gravy. They are the very essence of the roast bird. Stir as the liquid bubbles, dissolving any deliciousness from the roasting tin as you go.
Season generously and, if you wish, pour through a sieve into a warm jug as you go.