Pollo Relleno de Papas (Achiote-marinated chicken stuffed with potatoes)

Here is a delicious albeit time-consuming recipe using achiote. Check out the recipe section for Picadillo de Pobre where it is also used.

Pollo Relleno de Papas
Potato-Stuffed Oven-Roasted Chicken

Every time I’ve been to the market at Juchitán I’ve found quite a few women selling this dish — except, for some reason, on my most recent 1996 visit, when I heard stories of shortages and hardly a chicken was to be found anywhere. The traditional presentation is very dramatic. The juchitecas like to use hens with unborn eggs inside them. They sell the cooked chickens split open lengthwise to reveal the eggs, which have taken on the earthy red of the achiote mixture used to coat the birds. Unless you know a poultry farmer who will sell you such a chicken, you won’t get this colorful effect, but the dish is wonderful nonetheless.
This version was given to me by Margarita Miguel of Fonda Margarita at the market.
If you cannot find avocado leaves, substitute a tea made by boiling 1 teaspoon aniseeds with 1 cup water in a small saucepan until reduced by half and straining out the seeds. Omit the 1/2 cup water used to blend the spice mixture.

6 guajillo chiles, tops, seeds, and veins removed
1 teaspoon salt or to taste, plus more for the seasoning
2 tablespoons achiote paste (see page 000)
2 teaspoons dried Oaxacan oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (see page 000)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 avocado leaves (see page 000), crumbled
1/2 cup water
One 4 1/2- to 5-pound chicken
2 large Red Bliss or other waxy boiling potatoes (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large, ripe tomato, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup vinegar diluted in 2 cups water
Rinse and griddle-dry the chiles by the directions on page 000. Soak in boiling water to cover for 20 minutes. Drain the chiles and place in a blender with the salt, achiote paste, oregano, pepper, cloves, avocado leaves, and 1/2 cup water. Process, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, until smooth (about 4 minutes on high). Taste for seasoning and add more salt if desired. Slather the mixture all over the chicken, inside and out. Set aside while you make the stuffing.
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cut the unpeeled potatoes into quarters, drop into the saucepan, and cook until done, 15 – 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes thoroughly, return to the pan and shake dry. Peel and mash coarsely with a fork or masher.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a medium-size skillet, heat the vegetable oil over high heat until not quite smoking. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until slightly browned. Stir in the tomato and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer or until the juice is partly evaporated. Add the mixture to the potatoes and stir to combine thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste (about1 teaspoon).
Stuff the potato mixture into the chicken (it is not necessary to truss). Choose a Dutch oven or lidded oven proof casserole just large enough to hold the bird snugly. Place the chicken in the pan, add the vinegar-water mixture, and cover tightly. Bake until tender, about 2 hours. Carefully carve the chicken into serving pieces and place in soup bowls, distributing some of the stuffing in each. Ladle about 1 cup of the cooking liquid over each helping.
YIELD: 6 – 8 servings.