Chicken Breast with Clementines, Thai Bird Chile and Yukon Gold and Cauliflower Puree - skin-on

Method

• Cook's Note: A skin-on chicken breast with wing bone attached and wing tip and tenderloin removed is also known as an airline chicken breast.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel.
• Coat a medium saute pan with olive oil, and place over medium-high heat.
• When the pan is hot, sprinkle the skin of the chicken generously with salt, and then place skin-side down into the pan.
• Cook until the skin is golden and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Sprinkle the opposite side of the breast with salt, and then flip the chicken and continue cooking until cooked through, another 5 to 6 minutes.
• If the pan starts to smoke, lower the heat.
• Transfer the breast to a sheet pan, tent loosely with foil and place in the oven until the sauce is finished and you are ready to plate.
• Remove the excess oil from the pan before returning over medium-high heat.
• Add the clementine juice, clementine supremes and vinegar, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan.
• Stir in the thyme and chiles and let the liquid reduce by half before pouring in the chicken stock and a pinch salt.
• Continue cooking until the stock has reduced.
• Taste the sauce, making sure it's delicious, and then remove the thyme stalk and season with more salt, if needed.
• The sauce should be thickened and a little chunky.
• Lay the Yukon Gold and Cauliflower puree on the bottom of the plate, and then slice the chicken breast and fan the slices on top.
• Spoon some of the sauce on and around the chicken, and garnish with the supreme clementines.
• Halve the potatoes, and then cut each half into 6 to 8 pieces.
• Place the potatoes in a pot large enough to hold the cauliflower as well, and then cover the potatoes by 2 inches of water.
• Sprinkle generously with salt (it should taste like the ocean) and bring to a boil.
• After the water has been boiling about 10 minutes, add the cauliflower and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender.
• Bring the cream to a scald in a small saucepan.
• Meanwhile, pass the potatoes and cauliflower through a food mill into a large bowl.
• Add about half of the hot cream and 1/2 of the butter, and stir with purpose until thoroughly combined.
• Repeat this process with the remaining cream and butter until incorporated.
• Taste for seasoning (you will probably have to add salt), and serve warm.
• Yield: 2 servings.