- 1 4-pound chicken, quartered
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 pound chunk Speck (smoked prosciutto), pancetta or meaty slab bacon, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs celery with leafy tops, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small red chile pepper, halved lengthwise
- Herb bundle: 4 stems rosemary, handful of sage, 2 bay leaves
- 1 bottle red wine such as Montefalco Sangratino or other Italian red wine
- About 2 tablespoons Acacia (light in color and flavor) honey
- 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed, about 2 ½ pounds
- 1 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 pound Taleggio or ripe Camembert
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Nutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
Pat chicken dry and season chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, brown chicken skin side down first on both sides, remove to plate. Add speck, pancetta or bacon and stir a minute or 2, add carrots, celery, onions, half the garlic, herb bundle, salt and pepper, stir to soften 5 minutes, add wine and honey, bring to boil, add chicken and simmer 30-40 minutes to thicken.
Place potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to boil, salt liberally, boil to tender, drain and return to hot pot.
In a wide pan heat milk with remaining garlic and butter over medium heat to low simmer. Add milk mixture to potatoes and mash, melt in Taleggio or Camemebert and Parmigiano-Reggiano then season with salt and pepper and nutmeg, to taste.
Serve chicken alongside potatoes.