Name: Chicken Pot-au-Feu
Cook time: 1 hr
Total time: 5 hr
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 (4-lb) chicken (preferably organic); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 bunch fresh thyme; 2 qt chicken stock or canned broth; 1 qt water; 1 large onion stuck with 1 whole clove; 1 head garlic, left unpeeled and halved horizontally; 1 celery rib; 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf; 8 small leeks (1 1/2 lb; white and pale green parts only), root ends trimmed but leeks left intact; 12 small (1 1/2- to 2-inch) boiling potatoes (1 1/4 lb); 12 small carrots (1 1/4 lb), peeled; 8 small parsnips (1 1/4 lb), peeled; 1 large celery root (1 3/4 lb), peeled with a paring knife and cut into 1/2-inch wedges; 1 garlic clove; 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 2 cups coarsely chopped tender watercress sprigs; 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; Garnish: watercress sprigs; an instant-read thermometer

We recommend using the freshest watercress possible — if not at its best, it can give the sauce a slightly bitter taste. (Try hydroponic watercress; it's generally better than conventionally grown supermarket cress.)

Tanis suggests skimming all the fat from the cooking liquid and serving the broth as a first-course soup, garnished with toasted slices of French bread.

Cooks' notes:

• Stuffed and seasoned uncooked chicken can be chilled, loosely covered, up to 1 day.

• Watercress sauce can be made 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered.

Recipe notes

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