Pan‑fried Chicken Breast with Mushrooms and Potato Gratin

Ingredients

• 1.4 kg chicken (1 whole chicken)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 150 g shallots
• 40 g diced bacon
• 4 tbsp butter
• 250 ml red wine
• 2 tbsp cognac
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1 bouquet garni
• Nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 150 g small mushrooms
• Salt
• black pepper (ground)
• 800 g waxy potatoes
• 350 ml whipping cream
• 1 Garlic clove
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• Salt
• Nutmeg (freshly grated)
• 80 g grated Gruyère cheese

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash the chicken, pat dry and cut into 8 pieces. Season with salt and pepper, lightly dust with flour. Peel and halve the shallots; dice the bacon. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a Dutch oven, sauté shallots and bacon, remove and set aside. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides, return bacon and shallots, deglaze with wine and cognac. Peel and halve the garlic cloves. Add garlic, bouquet garni, nutmeg and cayenne pepper to the chicken; cover and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes.

2. 2.

   Preheat oven to 180 °C (356 °F).

3. 3.

   For the gratin, rub a potato loaf pan with the peeled garlic clove. Wash, peel and slice or shave the potatoes thinly. Layer them evenly in a brick‑like pattern. Whisk together cream, half the cheese and crème fraîche; season with salt and nutmeg and pour over the potatoes. The potatoes should be almost covered; adjust the amount of cream as needed. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4. 4.

   Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes until golden brown. Test doneness by inserting a fork: it should glide through easily.

5. 5.

   Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms. Finish by adding the remaining butter to a hot pan and sautéing the mushrooms until golden. Add them to the chicken, remove the bouquet garni, season the sauce with salt and pepper, and serve on top of the gratin.