Roasted Capon With Lovage Recipe

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season cavity of capon with salt and pepper to taste. Gently separate skin of breast from meat and rub 1 tablespoon butter in between. Stuff cavity with lovage, and truss bird with butcher's twine.

Place capon breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Rub 4 to 5 tablespoons of butter over capon. Roast for 20 minutes.

Place onions in pan flat side down, and add carrots and celery. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Roast capon, basting about every 20 minutes until juices run clear when the leg joint is pierced with a knife, about 2 1/2 hours. While capon is roasting, prepare stock.

To prepare stock: In a medium saucepan, combine neck, giblets and wing tips. Add enough water to cover (about 3 cups). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours, adding water as necessary to keep giblets covered. Remove from heat and set aside.

When capon is roasted, place on a warm platter, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Spoon off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan. Place pan over high heat.

Strain 1 1/2 cups stock into pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits on bottom of pan. Bring to a boil and strain gravy into a clean saucepan, pressing down on vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Lower heat and simmer until gravy is reduced by half. For richer gravy, whisk in 1 or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Transfer to a warm gravy boat.