Roast Chicken with Herb Sauce and a Salad of Bitter Greens

3 to 5 lb. roasting chicken
2 to 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Sprigs of fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, tarragon)
SAUCE:
1/4 cup cognac or brandy
About 3 1/2 cups (28 oz.) chicken stock*
2 heaping Tbsp. chopped mixed fresh herbs
2 Tbsp. heavy cream (optional)
SALAD DRESSING:
1 Tbsp. minced shallot
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
3 Tbsp. rendered fat from the roast chicken (warm from pan)
2 cups washed and dried mixed greens

Heat the oven to 450F.

Remove the giblets from the chicken's cavity. Pull any loose fat from around the opening. Rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry. Rub the chicken all over with the softened butter, gently pursing the butter under the breast skin. Sprinkle the outside and the cavity with the salt and pepper and stuff the herb sprigs inside. Put the chicken, breast side up, on a V-shaped rack or a flat rack and set the rack in a roasting pan just larger than the rack.

Roast at 450F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 375F and continue roasting for an additional 45 minutes for a total of about 1 hour for a 3 lb. chicken. For larger birds, add another 10 minutes for each additional pound until the chicken is done.

Set the chicken on a warm platter, propping up the hindquarters with an inverted saucer, and tent with foil to keep it warm while you make the sauce. Remove the rack from the pan.

SAUCE:
Make the sauce from the pan drippings by tilting the pan and spooning off as much fat as possible. Discard the fat, reserving 3 Tbsp. for the salad dressing.

Set the pan over high heat to caramelize all the juices, but be careful not to let them burn. Deglaze the pan with white wine, cognac, or sherry, scrapping up all the drippings. Boil until the liquid is just a syrupy glaze, add about 1 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, and boil it down to a sputtering, bubbling glaze.

Repeat with another 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, boiling down until it's reduced to about 2/3 cups sauce. Add any herbs or cream, taste, and adjust the seasoning.

SALAD DRESSING,
Whisk together the shallot, vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in 3 Tbsp. of the warm chicken fat, and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the greens and serve immediately without the carved chicken, drizzled with some sauce.

* For the chicken stock use 1.5 oz. of Glace de Poulet GoldŽ reconstituted in 3 1/2 cups of hot water or use 2/3 oz. of Fond de Poulet GoldŽ reconstituted in 3 1/2 cups of hot water.

Servings: 4