Roast poussin with sage butter carrots, cauliflower cheese purée and crispy duck fat potatoes
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 1 to 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 2
Roast poussin is served with buttery sage carrots, creamy cauliflower cheese purée and crisp duck fat potatoes. The potatoes are tossed in semolina and cornflour for extra crunch, while Gruyère and Parmesan give the cauliflower purée a rich, cheesy finish. You'll need a roasting tin, saucepan, sauté pan and blender.
Ingredients
For the roast poussin
For the sage butter carrots
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm/½in rounds
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- a few fresh sage leaves, plus extra for frying
- 150ml/5fl oz chicken stock
For the crispy duck fat potato scraps
For the cauliflower cheese purée
- 1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 250ml/9fl oz whole milk
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 150g/5½oz Gruyère cheese, grated
- 40g/1½oz Parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Season the poussin inside and out with salt and pepper. Put the bay leaf and thyme sprigs inside the cavity.
Rub the poussin with olive oil, dot with the cubes of butter and put it in a roasting tin. Roast for 30–35 minutes, or until cooked through. To check, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer. The juices should run clear with no trace of pink.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10–15 minutes before jointing.
To make the crispy duck fat potato scraps, put the potatoes and bay leaves in a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6–8 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost cooked.
Drain well and leave to steam dry. Transfer to the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9.
Break the cooled potatoes into irregular-sized pieces. Mix the semolina and cornflour together, then toss the potatoes in the mixture until evenly coated.
Heat a roasting tin in the oven until very hot. Carefully add the duck fat, which should be at least 1cm/½in deep, and return the tin to the oven until the fat is sizzling.
Carefully add the potatoes to the hot fat. Spoon the fat over the potatoes, then add the thyme and season with salt.
Roast, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp all over.
Transfer to a wire rack to drain and keep warm until ready to serve.
For the sage butter carrots, put the carrots in a frying pan with the butter and a little olive oil, arranging them cut-side down. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to colour.
Add the sage leaves and chicken stock. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots are almost tender.
Increase the heat and boil until the stock has reduced to a glaze that coats the carrots. Keep warm.
In a separate frying pan, fry the remaining sage leaves in butter until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.
For the cauliflower cheese purée, put the cauliflower florets in a saucepan with the milk and cream.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is completely soft.
Drain the cauliflower, reserving the cooking liquid.
Transfer the cauliflower to a blender with the butter, Gruyère, Parmesan and Dijon mustard.
Blend until completely smooth, adding a little of the reserved cooking liquid at a time until you have a smooth purée.
Season with the grated nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
Joint the rested poussin and serve with the sage butter carrots, crispy duck fat potatoes and cauliflower cheese purée.
Scatter the crispy sage leaves over the carrots.
