For ➍4 spring chickens (tied), 450 g each
1 clove garlic
8 tbs mustard
8 tbs honey
a pinch each of ground laurel, dried thyme, dried sage (or oregano or rosemary)
2 fennel bulbs
a splash Noilly Prat, a dash pastis (or some white balsamico)
a splash Noilly Prat, a dash pastis (or some white balsamico)
600 g potatoes
a few sprigs parsley
1 tbs olive oil
300 g butter
salt & pepper
a few sprigs parsley
1 tbs olive oil
300 g butter
salt & pepper
Rinse the fennel. Slice each bulb into 8 wedges.Melt a knob of butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Put the fennel in the hot butter and bake for 2-3 m. The bottoms might slightly caramelize. To braise the fennel, add a splash of Noilly Prat and a dash of pastis. Cut a round, the size of the pan, out of a sheet of parchment paper. Pour some water into the pan and place the paper on top of the fennel pieces as a soft cover. Turn heat down to low. Let cook for 25 m. Turn over the slices and cook for 10 m more. Season with pepper and salt.
Cut a knob of butter into cubes. Put in a mixing bowl. Peel and crush the garlic. Mix the pulp with the butter. Add a whiff of various dried herbs. Add some salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Remove the rubber band or string off the birds. Fill each spring chicken with a good knob of herb butter. Re-tie the fowl. Take a baking dish or roasting pan, rub each poussin with a knob of butter and then put them in the dish.
Mix the honey and mustard. Use a kitchen brush to rub the chicken with the sweet and sour mix. Put a few knobs of butter in the baking dish. Fry the poussin 20 to 25 m in the oven.Open the oven door occasionally and spoon the juices over the poussin. Remove the cooked bird from the oven and sprinkle with some juices.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and boil them in lightly salted water until al dente. Cut them into thick slices or bite-size pieces. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and add some olive oil.
Bake until golden and season to taste with a pinch of salt and some freshly milled pepper.
Chop fresh parsley over the potatoes and shake the pan gently.
Launch the grill of your oven. Remove the strings that hold the fowl.
Cut each chicken in half, through the carcass. Use a sharp knife. Put the fowl in the roasting pan with the legs up. Spoon some juices over the meat and put it a few m under a hot grill.
Serve on a large plates: potatoes, a few pieces of braised fennel and a halved poussin.
Spoon some of juices over chicken or serve it separately in a gravy boat.
