Recipe: Chapon Farci R ti (Roast Capon with Stuffing)

Chapon Farci R ti (Roast Capon with Stuffing)
Source: Saveur. December 1999.
Servings: 6

1 (7 lb) capon
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf country-style white bread
1 head garlic -- separated into cloves, peeled, and slightly crushed
1 tbsp butter
1 medium yellow onion -- peeled and chopped
2 shallots -- peeled and chopped
6 oz. white mushrooms -- trimmed and chopped
1 1/2 lbs. pork sausages -- removed from casings
1 carrot -- peeled and chopped
1 turnip -- peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 400F.

Rinse capon and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Rub all over with 1-2 tbsp. oil, then generously season with salt and pepper and set aside. Slice bread into thick slices. Rub both sides of one of the crusty heels of the bread with 1 garlic clove, then discard garlic. Brush heel generously with oil, then stuff into the bird's cavity. Arrange the rest of the bread in a shallow roasting pan and scatter remaining cloves of garlic on top of bread.

Put capon, breast side down, directly on an oven rack set in the middle of the oven. Set the roasting pan with the bread on a rack under the capon so that the fat and juices will drip onto the bread. After 15 minutes, pour 2 cups of water over bread. Add another 2 cups water after 15 minutes more. After 40 minutes, turn capon breast side up. Roast until the skin turns crisp and golden, about another 35 minutes. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in sausage meat, carrots, and turnips and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, breaking up and crumbling sausage meat. Reduce heat to low and cook until vegetables caramelize slightly, about 30 minutes.

When capon is done, remove from oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Add a few spoonfuls of the pan juices into the vegetable mixture. Carve capon and serve with stuffing and roasted bread.

NOTES: Meatier, more tender, and stronger in flavor than chicken, capon (neutered rooster) is available in the United States almost year-round. The birds are more seasonal in France, however, and when Xiradakis can't get them, he roasts chickens in a similar manner.