Broiled Garlic Chicken with Cold Potato/Mint Purée

This recipe comes from my The Chicken For Every Occasion cookbook. I hadn’t looked at the book for a while but, once again, I am intriguiged
by some of the recipes of the “Chicken Around the World” chapter. The dish offers an exciting contrast between the sizzling chicken and the cold, smooth purée.

Menu

Broiled Garlic Chicken with Potato-and-Mint Purée
Rice
Watercress, Grape Tomatoes, and Feta Cheese Salad
Wine: Pascal Granger Juliénas 2008
Dessert: Lindt 85% Cocoa Chocolate

Prep Chicken

2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs separated, trimmed)
Salt and pepper
Combine garlic, oil and lemon juice. Pour over he chicken pieces and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Prep Potato-Mint Purée

2 medium potatoes, cooked and peeled
1/4 cup oil, more if needed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon lime juice (more if desired)
1 tablespoon fresh mint (more if desired)
Salt

Place the oil and garlic in a blender, mix. Add lime juice and potatoes, blend. Add mint and blend until smooth. Season to taste. Cover and store in the refrigerator till ready to use.

Cooking Chicken

Preheat the broiler

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade. Pad dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces, skin side down, on the broiler rack. Brush with marinade and broil for 15 minutes. Turn, brush again, and broil for another 15 minutes. Test for doneness. Lest rest for several minutes. Serve hot with accompanying cold potato-mint puree, and garnish with thin slices of lemon and lime.

This is the second time that I was impressed by Beaujolais, my least favorite wine. My prejudice against the wine stems mostly from the hoopla around Beaujolais Nouveau and the mass produced wines from the Beaujolais region. Beaujolais from top producers of the 10 Cru Villages—among them Juliénas, Moulin-A-Vent, Fleurie, and Morgan-- are another matter. Light and delicious, the Juliénas was a case in point. As advised, I had opened the bottle three hours before serving to give the wine plenty of time to breathe.