Roast Chicken with Harissa
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 whole pastured chicken
- Harissa paste (to taste)
- a little olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 squeeze of lemon
- sea salt & black pepper
For the Patata Brava
- 2 lb. waxy potatoes, cubed and lightly salted
- 1/2 cup of cooking oil mixed with olive oil
- sea salt
- smoked Spanish paprika
For the Bravas Sauce
- 1 can of tomatoes
- 6 TB olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1–2 small dried red chilies, crumbled
- 2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
- 1/3 tsp each of dried thyme and oregano
- 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, halved, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp hot Spanish paprika
- sea salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Rub enough Harissa to cover the chicken generously, season with salt and pepper and leave in the fridge for a few hours.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Place the chicken in a lightly oiled roasting pan and roast for about an hour, basting occasionally. After about 50 minutes, test the leg with a skewer to see if juices run clear. If not, cook until they do. Then remove chicken, place on a board or serving dish, and let rest for 10 minutes, loosely covered in foil.
- Meanwhile, make a simple gravy. Pour off most of the oil from the pan, add the water and a squeeze of lemon, and deglaze the pan. Serve with tossed salad, and Patata Brava.
For the Potatoes
- Start with the sauce. Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and squash them, removing any hard pieces or skin. Pour half the olive oil into a large saucepan and fry the garlic over medium heat. When the garlic is golden, add the chili and stir briefly. Now add the tomatoes and herbs and bring to a gentle simmer, turning down the heat if necessary. Cook for about 20 minutes until the tomato juice has more or less evaporated. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, sautée the chopped onion and the rest of the olive oil for about 20 minutes, until they become soft and sweet and caramelize slightly. Now add the white wine to the onion mixture, bring to the boil and pour in the tomatoes from the other saucepan. Stir in the sugar and paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes, adding some water if the sauce is too thick. Set aside.
- Blanch the potatoes in the oil over a medium heat until tender without coloring (this can be done in advance). Then fry in hot but not smoking oil until golden brown. Drain, and taste for salt.
- Spoon the warmed sauce over the potatoes and sprinkle with extra paprika. Sometimes in Spain, this dish is also served with mayonnaise or aioli.
Notes
- Not Included in Large Kitchen Box: Olive OIl, Salt & Pepper, Cooking oil, Paprika, Red Chilies, Bay Leaves, Dried Thyme & Oregano, Dry White WIne, Sugar.
Billy
Harissa is one of my favorite ingredients to add to a chicken dish. Do you have any pictures of the finished product? Thank you for sharing!