Mark Roper
“This is a typical farmhouse roast chicken, with extra farmhouse,” says Louis Couttoupes of Canberra’s Bar Rochford. “It can be made with a whole chicken, or as individual spatchcock, but either way, baste the birds in the juices during cooking for maximum flavour.” Begin this recipe a day ahead to soak the hay, infuse the spatchcock and prepare the tarragon butter.
Ingredients
Method
1.Wash hay, then soak in clean water for 10 minutes. Drain, shaking out excess water. Season spatchcock cavities with salt, then stuff with the thyme and one-quarter of the hay each. Refrigerate uncovered overnight to allow flavours to penetrate the meat and for the skin to dry out a little.
2.Blanch tarragon in a saucepan of salted boiling water (10 seconds). Drain, refresh in iced water, then drain well squeezing excess moisture from leaves. Add to a small food processor with butter and process until bright green. With the motor running, slowly add pastis and 100ml oil and season to taste with salt. Chill overnight.
3.Preheat oven to 250°C. Season spatchcock all over and heat remaining oil in 2 ovenproof frying pans over medium heat. Brown spatchcock on all sides (2-4 minutes each side), remove from pans, then add a handful of soaked hay to each. Return spatchcock to pans, breast-side up, transfer to oven and roast until juices run clear when a thigh is pierced with a skewer (12-15 minutes). Serve spatchcock on hay with lemon cheeks and a generous dollop of tarragon butter.
Oaten hay is available from pet shops.
Drink suggestion: A fruit-forward French gamay such as the 2016 Marcel Joubert Beaujolais-Villages. Drink suggestion by Nick Smith.
Notes
