Roast Chicken With Shallots And Dried Cranberries

• One 4-pound chicken
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 bottle (750 ml) French hard cider
• 8 small shallots, peeled
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 6 whole cloves
• 3/4 cup dry vermouth, preferably French
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• One 10-ounce bag baby spinach

1. Preheat the oven to 375u0b0. Put the chicken in a small roasting pan and rub the skin all over with the butter. Generously season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the juices tipped out of the cavity run clear. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and cover loosely with foil; let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the hard cider with the shallots, dried cranberries, cloves and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until the cranberries are softened, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a medium bowl. Continue to simmer the shallots until they are tender, about 20 minutes longer. Strain the mixture into a smaller saucepan and transfer the shallots to the bowl with the cranberries. Boil the cider over moderately high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes.
3. Pour off the fat from the chicken-roasting pan and set the pan over two burners. Add 1/2 cup of the vermouth and simmer over moderately low heat, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add the reduced cider and any accumulated juices from the chicken and simmer, stirring, until the sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
4. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the pine nuts and cook over moderate heat, shaking the pan occasionally until golden, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of vermouth and the lemon juice and boil over moderately high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and shallots and heat through; season with salt and pepper. Carve the chicken and serve the shallot-and-spinach mixture alongside, passing the sauce at the table.
5. Wine Recommendation: The distinctive tart-berry fruitiness of a Pinot Noir harmonizes with the cranberries here. Consider a California Pinot Noir, such as the 1998 Robert Sinskey or the 1998 Sterling Winery Lake.

chicken, unsalted butter, salt, cider, shallots, cranberries, cloves, extravirgin olive oil, pine nuts, lemon juice, baby spinach

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/roast-chicken-with-shallots-dried-cranberries (may not work)