Week 7: Fried Chicken, Pan Gravy, Glazed Beets, Duchesse Potatoes

The beets were julienned and placed in a pan with the sugar and water and allowed to simmer.

Beets starting to cook

In the meantime, the potatoes were cooked, then mashed with butter, salt, and pepper.

They were placed in the piping bag and shaped into a flower-like pattern.

The potatoes were placed in the oven until the edges were golden brown

The gravy was made with chicken stock, flour and oil.

 A roux was made and the chicken stock added in, continuing to heat until thickened. Salt and white pepper were added to taste.

From the start the oil was placed on the burner to heat until 360 F.

Pot of oil

The chicken was fried until golden brown, then finished in the oven until it reached an internal temperature of 180 F.

Final plating:

Prep: The glaze on the beets was a little watery still on plating. I would reduce the sauce more for next time. No problems with the prep for the potatoes. The gravy was done before the chicken was ready and turned out a little thicker on plating from the continued heat. I would add some more water or stock to the gravy for next time to attain a better consistency. The chicken was still undercooked when the skin turned golden brown so it needed to be finished in the oven which extended the expected cooking time.

Presentation: I decided on spreading the beets in a fan shape, placing the chicken on a pool of gravy, with a duchesse potato below the chicken. I used parsley as garnish. I might add some of the beet glaze on the sides of the plate in a dot or swirl pattern to fill the empty space on the sides of the plate for next time. I also might restrict the chopped parsley to just the chicken or not at all.

Taste: The chicken had a crispy outer coating with tender chicken and was well seasoned. The gravy was thick but tasted good with the chicken. The beets were "al dente" and lightly sweet. The duchesse potato tasted good except for the cooked browned outer coating, which tasted dry. Maybe brushing some melted butter onto the cooked potatoes would make the texture better, or adding cream and/or more butter to the mashed potatoes before piping.

Overall: I think the dish was successful with plating, and overall tastes good.