FILLING
2 Chicken breasts, (1 lb ea) 2 tb Butter
With skin and bones 1/4 c Shallots, finely chopped
1/4 lb Pearl onions (about 2 large)
About 1 lb, unpeeled 1 Bay leaf
2 md Carrots 1/4 ts Dried thyme, crumbled
Cut in 1/4″ thick slices 1/4 ts Dried tarragon, crumbled
2 Celery ribs 1/4 c All-purpose flour
Halved lengthwise 1/3 c Dry white wine
Cut in 1/4″ thick pieces 1 3/16 c Chicken broth
1/2 c Frozen peas, thawed Grated nutmeg to taste
1/4 lb Mushrooms (abt 8) 1 tb Medium-dry sherry
Thinly sliced
-MASHED POTATOES-
1 1/2 lb Baking potatoes 2 tb (to 3 tbs) chives, minced
1/4 c Low-fat sour cream
Make Filling:
In a 5-quart saucepan, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add chicken and
simmer, uncovered, 20 min. Remove pan from heat and let stand 30 min.
Transfer chicken to a bowl, discarding cooking liquid, and cool.
Discard skin and bones. Cut chicken into 3/4-inch cubes and return to
bowl.
In a 3-quart saucepan bring 2 quarts water to a boil and cook onions
until tender, 7-8 min. Transfer onions with a slotted spoon to a bowl
of ice and cold water, reserving cooking liquid in pan. Cut root ends
off onions and peel. Add onions to chicken.
Return reserved cooking liquid to a boil and cook carrots and celery
until just tender, 4-5 min. Drain carrots and celery and add with
peas to chicken mixture.
In pan cook mushrooms in 1/2 tsp butter over moderate heat, stirring,
until softened and golden brown and all liquid they give off is
evaporated and add to chicken mixture.
In pan cook shallots with bay leaf, thyme, and tarragon in remaining
1 1/2 tbs butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until soft and
pale golden and stir in flour. Cook mixture, stirring, 3 min (it will
look crumbly) and gradually whisk in wine, broth, nutmeg and salt and
pepper to taste. Simmer sauce 5 min, whisking occasionally, and whisk
in sherry. Discard bay leaf. Pour sauce over chicken mixture and stir
until combined well.
Filling may be made 1 day ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled,
covered.
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Make Mashed Potatoes:
Peel potatoes and cut in to 1-inch pieces. In a saucepan cover
potatoes with water by 1-inch and simmer until very tender, 10-15
min. Reserve about 1/3 cup cooking liquid and drain potatoes. In
batches force potatoes through a ricer or food mill fitted with
medium disk into a bowl and stir in sour cream, chives, salt and
pepper to taste, and enough reserved cooking liquid to get a fluffy
consistency. Transfer potatoes to a pastry bag fitted with a
1/2-inch fluted tip.
Spread filling in a 1 1/2-2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking
dish. Pipe mashed potatoes decoratively in mounds on filling and bake
in middle of oven until filling is bubbling and potatoes are golden
on edges, about 25 min.
Yields
4 servings