The Great Garlic Chicken

Chicago’s Mango restaurant has the best roast chicken I’ve experienced in my travels, including a recent trip to France.

Steven Chiappetti, owner-chef of Mango, has devised a chicken that is deeply flavored and exceptionally moist. The meat is sauced with the pan juices, lemon juice, chicken stock, roasted potatoes and rosemary, all cooked to a thick consistency. Of course, the chicken’s 40 cloves of garlic have something to do with the bird’s rich flavor.

Chiappetti also makes goat cheese triangles with balsamic syrup and red pepper garnish as an appetizer; they are almost as popular as his chicken. For dessert, I love his pecan and chocolate tart.

STEVEN CHIAPPETTI’S ROASTED CHICKEN

This chicken is served at Chiappetti’s restaurant with the meat neatly cut off the bone and briefly reheated in the sauce. It’s also delicious served in this simpler form halved, or quartered.

1 (4-pound) chicken, rinsed in cold water, blotted dry

4 small heads garlic, peeled or 2 large heads (slice large cloves)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Freshly ground pepper

8 small red boiling potatoes, about 14 ounces total, washed, quartered

3 tablespoons minced rosemary

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons snipped chives

Gently separate skin from flesh of chicken, working down around thighs and legs. Stuff many garlic cloves or slices under skin. Put remaining garlic in cavity.

Combine 1/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in small dish. Rub surface of chicken with mixture.

Place chicken in shallow roasting pan on rack placed in lower third of oven. Bake at 400 degrees 30 minutes, basting occasionally with remaining oil.

Toss potatoes with rosemary and add to roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes more, turning potatoes once midway. Potatoes should not be seared.

Transfer chicken to warm platter; tent with foil. Set potatoes aside.

Place roasting pan on stove over medium-high heat. Add lemon juice. Boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock or broth, chicken juices and potatoes, along with any garlic that may have fallen out of chicken. Boil vigorously until liquid is reduced to thick sauce, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Use shears to halve or quarter chicken. Pour sauce over. Sprinkle with chives. Serve hot.

2 to 4 servings. Each of 4 servings:

801 calories; 2,385 mg sodium; 174 mg cholesterol; 54 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 51 grams protein; 1.14 gram fiber.

MANGO’S GOAT CHEESE TRIANGLES

1/4 pound goat cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup basil leaves, finely sliced

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 sheets filo dough

Olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded, cut into fine strips

Put cheese, butter, toasted pine nuts, 2 1/2 tablespoons basil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

Stack filo sheets, lightly brushing top of each with olive oil. Along long edge, mark off 6 (2 3/4-inch) spaces and cut sheets into 6 vertical strips.

To assemble triangles, put 1 tablespoon cheese mixture at end of each strip. Fold like flag into triangle. Lightly brush top with oil. (Note: This recipe can be made to this point several hours ahead and refrigerated, covered with plastic, or frozen up to 1 month. If chilled or frozen, return to room temperature before continuing.)

Simmer vinegar in 6-inch non-aluminum skillet, uncovered, until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch carefully because vinegar cooks down rapidly and can burn.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, cook triangles until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes in all.

Toss red pepper with remaining basil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish triangles with red pepper and drizzle with balsamic syrup, dividing evenly. Serve warm.

6 triangles. Each triangle:

190 calories; 193 mg sodium; 19 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

MANGO’S PECAN AND CHOCOLATE TART

This great fudge-like dessert, created by Ariel Banagong, the pastry chef at Mango, can serve as few as 6 or as many as 12 because it’s easy to cut into small wedges. Use the food processor fitted with the metal blade to mince the chocolate (break up the pieces first).

TART SHELL

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) butter, room temperature

6 tablespoons milk

FILLING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup honey

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup whipping cream

1 pound pecan halves

1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, finely minced

TART SHELL

Pulse flour and sugar in food processor fitted with metal blade to combine. Scatter butter pieces over flour. Pulse until mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Pour milk evenly over flour mixture. Mix until dough just begins to pull away from sides.

Gather dough, compress and roll out on well-floured surface until slightly larger than 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Gently fit into pan and trim crust 1/4-inch beyond rim. Chill in freezer until firm, about 10 minutes.

Set on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until crust is lightly browned on edges, 16 to 18 minutes.

FILLING

Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Add honey and brown sugar and stir until mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Add cream and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans, then chocolate.

ASSEMBLY

Spoon hot filling into tart shell, distributing pecans evenly. (Note: It’s OK if filling and tart shell are hot.)

Bake at 400 degrees until surface is bubbling, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Chill until firm. Serve chilled, at room temperature or warm in oven at 300 degrees for about 8 minutes. (Tart will last up to 5 days if refrigerated.) Cut into wedges.

6 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings:

728 calories; 194 mg sodium; 74 mg cholesterol; 57 grams fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.02 grams