Roasted Chicken for a Jewish Holiday

Ingredients

• 4 matzo pieces
• 125 ml warm chicken broth
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion
• 2 stalks celery
• Salt
• Pepper
• 0.5 tsp ground cumin
• 0.25 tsp turmeric
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1 egg
• 1 roasted chicken (≈1.6 kg, skin removed)
• 0.5 lemon
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 0.25 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion
• 500 g peeled potatoes
• 100 g peeled carrots
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 1 tbsp potato starch
• 2 Eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• paprika powder
• oil for frying

Instructions

1. 1.

   Break the matzo into small pieces and soak them in a bowl with the chicken broth. Peel the onion, finely chop it together with the cleaned celery. Heat the oil in a large pan, sauté the onion and celery until they soften in their own juices over medium heat for about 3–5 minutes, then season with salt, pepper, cumin, and turmeric. Continue cooking until the mixture turns golden‑yellow, then remove from heat.

2. 2.

   Squeeze out excess moisture from the softened matzo, fold it in, let it cool slightly. Mix parsley with the egg to create a paste and stir into the matzo mixture. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Clean the chicken, trim any excess fat, rub the inside and outside with lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil, cumin, and turmeric.

3. 3.

   Fill the cavity of the chicken by hand or with a spoon, then seal the opening with toothpicks or thread.

4. 4.

   Place the chicken in a greased roasting pan and bake for about 1 ¼–1 ½ hours. Baste occasionally with the drippings; after half the cooking time add roughly 100 ml water to the pan. Remove the chicken and keep it warm at 80 °C (176 °F). Peel another onion, coarsely chop it, simmer with the drippings, blend well, season, and pour into a sauce pot.

5. 5.

   Blend garlic, onions, and carrots in a blender, strain through a kitchen towel to drain. Grate the potatoes. Strain the resulting liquid, stir in potato starch. Beat the eggs, add them, mix thoroughly. Season to taste. Heat oil in a pan and fry 4–6 patties at once until golden. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve alongside the roasted chicken on a plate, accompanied by carrot salad and apple sauce.