Pot Roast Chicken with Apples and Cider (and optional cabbage)

2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken
7 ounces (200 grams) bacon, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 onions, cut in half-moon slices

1/2 green cabbage, cut into ribbons (optional)
1 cup cider
Salt and pepper
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
A little granulated sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Heat the oven to 325 F.

Melt half the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other heavy, oven-safe pot into which the chicken will fit snugly.  Season the chicken and brown it gently on all sides, turning it with two big wooden spoons to keep from piercing the skin.

Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside.  In the same pot, cook the bacon until golden on all sides, then add the onions and cook for a few minutes more, just to get them nice and buttery.  Add cabbage, if using, and cook for another few minutes.

Put the chicken back in the pot on top of the bacon mixture and add the cider.  Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.  Season with salt and pepper and add the sprigs of rosemary.  Cover the pot.

Cook chicken in the heated oven for 1 1/2 hours.  When it is cooked, the juices between the leg and the main body of the chicken should run clear when pierced at the thickest part.

While waiting for the bird to finish cooking, quickly sauté the apples in the remaining butter until just tender, sprinkling them with a little sugar to give sweetness and help them color.

When the chicken is cooked, carefully remove it from the pot, cover with tin foil, and keep warm in a low oven.  Bring the juices in the pot to boil and add the cream and mustard.  Boil until you have a sauce that will just coat the back of a spoon.  Check the seasoning, and add the cooked apples.  Serve the chicken, either whole or jointed, with the sauce.

Serves 6-8.

From Roast Figs Sugar Snow by Diana Henry, with a few changes