Baked Capon With Pearl Onions

Total Time: 6 hrs Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 gallons cold water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon peppercorn
• 1 capon, about 6 to 8 pounds (mine was 4 1/2 lbs)
• 3/4 lb potato, peeled and diced
• vinegar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 bay leaf
• juniper berries (i omitted)
• paprika (i used about 2 1/2 t)
• cinnamon (i used 1/2 tsp & will a little less next time)
• 1/2 lb chestnuts, boiled and peeled (i also broke mine apart coarsely)
• 1 golden delicious apple, chopped
• 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (i used gluten-free bread)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 lbs pearl onions, peeled
• 1 cup dry red wine

Recipe

• 1 brine bird: pour the cold water into a 5-gallon stock pot.
• 2 dissolve the salt and sugar in a little bit of warm water, and add it to the cold water.
• 3 add the peppercorns.
• 4 place the bird breast-side down in the stock pot and cover.
• 5 store in the refrigerator and turn the bird once during brining.
• 6 (i didn't turn it, but i did put a plate on top of the bird to completely submerge it in the brine.) brine for 6 to 10 hours (i brined 22 hours, which was fine because this brine has less salt than some others).
• 7 take it out of the brine, rinse and pat dry, then put it back in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 6 hours.
• 8 (from what i've read, this step will cause the water to move away from the skin, resulting in crisper skin.) boil potatoes in a pot of salted water flavored with a splash of vinegar until al dente.
• 9 in a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter, and add bay leaf, juniper berries, paprika, cinnamon, chestnuts and apple.
• 10 add potatoes; fry until golden.
• 11 sprinkle with bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper, and let cool.
• 12 preheat the oven to 400°f.
• 13 fill capon with the potato stuffing.
• 14 truss the legs, and tuck the wing tips under the body so that they don't burn during cooking.
• 15 rub the capon with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
• 16 roast until skin begins to brown (about 30 minutes).
• 17 add onions and the wine, and cook for about 3 hours, or until a meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the inner thigh registers 175°f to 180°f.
• 18 (my 4 1/2 lb bird cooked in 2 hours total cook time.) let the bird rest for 30 minutes before carving.