236. CHICKEN, BACON, and PIG’S TROTTER

serves four


3 pig’s trotters
2 carrots, peeled
1 whole head of garlic, skin on
2 onions, peeled and halved
a bundle of fresh herbs tied together
2 bay leaves
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 leek, cleaned
12 black peppercorns
1 bottle of red wine
2 quarts chicken stock
duck fat or unsalted butter
1 lb. smoked streaky bacon, rind removed in one piece, rolled and tied, and bacon cut into chunks
12 shallots, peeled
1 chicken, cut into serving pieces and seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper


In a pan place the trotters, carrots, garlic, onions, herb bundle, bay leaves, celery, leek, and peppercorns, cover with wine and chicken stock, cover with the lid, and place in a medium 350 degree oven for 3 hours until the trotters are thoroughly cooked. Remove the trotters from the pan and allow to cool until handleable. Strain the remaining liquor into a clean pan, discard the vegetables, and place on the heat. Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce. Meanwhile your trotters have cooled, so pluck the skin and flesh off the bones and add this to your simmering sauce, and cook for 1 hour. Then get a frying pan hot, add duck fat or butter and brown the bacon rind and shallots, and add these to your simmering pot (do not clean the frying pan); let this all cook together for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the frying pan you have kept, brown your pieces of chicken. Place the chicken in an ovenproof dish, then pour over it the trotter skin and meat, chunks of bacon, shallot-rind mixture, and the juice. Check for seasoning, as the bacon will give saltiness. Cover and place in a hot 425 degree oven for 40 minutes, then uncover for 10 minutes more. When it’s ready, serve straightaway with mashed potatoes. A delicious extra for dipping in the sauce is triangles of white bread fried in duck fat.


courtesy of: The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating, by Fergus Henderson. New York: Harper Collins/Ecco, 2004, p. 114.