Coq au Vin

In order to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, I decided to make Coq au Vin for the first time. Because of the chill, I have been in a braising mood lately, recently making a pot roast. Since I had some leftover wine and stock from my pot roast, I decided to do another braised dish, and thought I might as well try to class it up with a Gallic classic.

There are few things more satisfying to eat in the middle of winter than a braised meat or poultry dish, especially when it is smothered in buttery mash potatoes. For this dish, I made a fairly straightforward Coq Au Vin (with some modifications...it is hard to find old rooster in the supermarket shelves). The one twist was that I chose to mash sweet potatoes rather than regular potatoes, and threw in a little extra butter for good measure. I just wish I had a blender or strainer in order to make them a little smoother. Flavor wise, I thought my dish was great. Appearance wise....you be the judge.