Hamptons Epicure: Roasted Chicken á la Topping Rose House
I was delighted to attend the first-ever cooking class at the Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton last month. It was a fascinating peek inside the workings of a top kitchen.
As Chef Kyle Koenig had promised, he gave participants “methods, not recipes.” In other words, he took us through all the rigors of preparing roasted chicken, gnocchi and roasted vegetables using his expert methods. The instruction was to be observed and adapted to one’s own kitchen and habits. I used his ingredient list and instructions as the basis for the recipe below.
After the class we sat down to eat the fruits of our labors. My classmates and I thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Topping Rose that evening and I’m happy to report that my homemade roast chicken whipped up days later was just as crisp and tasty.
Additional cooking classes will be held at Topping Rose on January 21 (Purée), February 18 (Braise) and March 18 (Bake). Visit toppingrosehouse.com for all of the delicious details.
ROASTED CHICKEN
Serves 2, like Kings
3 1/2-pound free range chicken
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
coarse sea salt
Preheat oven to 375°.
Rinse chicken and pat dry thoroughly.
Cut off last joint of wings and discard.
Season chicken liberally inside and out with kosher salt and pepper.
Stick index finger under skin of breasts to create pockets. Fill evenly with butter.
Place lemon, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves inside cavity, then truss.
Rub outside of bird with oil.
Roast breast-side-up on rack in a roasting pan for about 90 minutes. Chicken is done when inserted meat thermometer reads 180°. (So, ideally, you want to remove bird from oven just before it hits that temperature because meat will continue to cook.)
Remove the bird from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove string, carve and serve sprinkled with sea salt.