French Fridays with Dorie: Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes

So, if last week's recipe for Salmon with Basil Tapanade didn't get you excited, this newest installment of French Fridays with Dorie will.  I just know it.  I can feel it in my bones.

This week's French Fridays recipe is for Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes (page 212).  This is exactly the kind of food I love.  The chicken is browned and then braised slowly with saffron, sweet potatoes, and a most misunderstood  fruit, prunes.  Prunes are delicious, and while I wouldn't sit down with a bowl of them, they are absolutely perfect braised along with the chicken.

I'm not going lie to you and tell you that this is a recipe that will take mere minutes throw together.  It's labor intensive and and it's messy.  I am not a huge fan of messy and browning chicken, or browning anything for that matter, is messy.  But this is a classic case of browning equals flavor so we brown.

I served this tagine over couscous studded with toasted pine nuts.   To guests.  Yup, I served this to guests and I would love to report that they loved it, but I don't think they did.  One of them kind of moved it around on her plate and the other one made a nice show of carefully picking out the prunes and sweet potatoes.

But all was not lost.  Ted loved it.  Ted's dad loved it.  Kate loved it.  And I loved it.

It's four against one.  It was divine.

French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs.  We would prefer if you purchase a copy of Around My French Table for yourselves.  Believe me, you will be glad you did.  Aside from getting to cook along with French Fridays with Dorie, it's a beautiful book which will inspire you.  It's well worth the investment.