Old ROTW: Winter Chicken

ROTW from 19th November 2007

Organic corn fed chicken of around 3 lbs
8 rashers dry-cured bacon or Parma ham
1 lb potatoes, peeled
2 bulbs of garlic in cloves, peeled
1/4 lb gruyere or mixed gruyere and emmenthal
white wine, butter, cream

Preheat your oven and an appropriately sized roasting tray to 190. Clean the chicken cavity. Stuff the garlic into the chicken. Boil your potatoes in salted water until almost cooked. Drain and allow to cool. Slice the potatoes into discs, season with salt and black pepper. Cut the cheese into thin slices and layer between the potatoes in a dish that can go into the oven.Place the chicken on the tray and cook for 40 minutes.Remove from the oven, cover the chicken in the bacon or ham, deglaze the pan with white wine, and cook for another 15 minutes. Put the cheesed off potatoes in the oven at this point too. When its all done, remove the chicken from the pan and rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile deglaze the pan again with white wine, a knob of butter and a small pot of cream and serve the result as a sauce. Remove the potatoes, carve the chicken and serve with wilted spinach.