Radishes Fowl Point Zero

The smaller CSA share this week and our earlier salad extravaganza  left us with only a few items remaining to cook. I had bought a whole chicken thinking to roast it with sage and red potatoes. That felt a little uninspired, so I decided to check the fridge. Pulling open my veggie drawer, I found a large bunch of OPO radishes, some turnips, and a number of carrots. 


We've come to love both radishes and turnips. In fact, the other day, we all set upon a sliced raw turnip: crunchy and spicy with just a hint of sweetness. Both remind us of horseradish - another favorite. Then it struck me: Horseradish roasted chicken. It sounded quirky but worth trying.


The Method


If you don't have the luxury of homemade horseradish grown in Midwestern soils (thanks, Dad), you will want to a) buy a horseradish root and make some, or b) purchase really good jar. You could brine the chicken in advance, but I prepared this without doing so.

• 1  roaster chicken
• 3-5 turnips, sliced in half/quarters if large
• 1 bunch of radishes
  
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• several new, red potatoes
• 2 TB horseradish, ground
• 2 TB butter, melted
• Salt and pepper
• 2 TB real maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Place the turnips and radishes in a plastic bag.
4. Season the turnips and radishes with salt and pepper.
5. Add the horseradish and melted butter to the bag. Mix to coat the vegetables well.
6. Stuff the chick with the turnip and radishes. Set breast-up into a roasting pan. (I use one with a rack, adding 2 C of water, so that I can make gravy.)
7. Turn the bag inside-out and rub the chicken with the horseradish butter.
8. Place the remaining vegetables around the chicken. 
9. Season the outside of the chicken with a little salt and pepper.
10. Drizzle with maple syrup.
11. Roast until done, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. (Check the water level to ensure it doesn't dry out completely.)

The Results

As with several of our previous radish meals, this was scrumptious. The chicken was moist, buttery, and sweet - with just a hint of the spiciness from the horseradish. Roasted vegetables are always delicious. They held up well to the peppery flavor of the dish. The resulting gravy, however, made by adding a few tablespoons of flour and water blended together with the pan set over high burners on the stove, was the star! It had an ambrosial aroma and taste - piquant, yet creamy, blended with a touch of maple syrup. On the side, OPO mustard greens, turnip, tops, and kale.