Serves 4. This is a country dish of chicken legs whose say made from sauteing the chicken in bottom fat and simmering it in red wine and stock, is thick with chopped vegetables. Accompany it with sauteed potatoes, 1 inch thick slices of French bread and that have been brushed with oil and baked until golden.

1/4 lb. slab or thickly sliced bacon
4 whole chicken legs
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 leek, trimmed, rinsed thoroughly & finely chopped
2 tbsp. flour
1 c. red wine
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 tomato, peeled, seeded & cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of dried thyme or 1 tsp. fresh thyme
Extra sprig of fresh thyme (optional)

Set the oven at 450 degrees. Cut the bacon into thin strips and cook them in large cast-iron skillet (or another heavy skillet with heatproof handle) until they render all their fat and turn golden brown.

Remove the bacon pieces from the skillet and transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel. Add the chicken legs to the pan, skin side down and cook them over medium-high heat, turning often for 5 minutes or until they are golden brown all over.

Remove the chicken from the pan. Spoon off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add the onion, carrot and leek. Cook these vegetables on medium heat for 5 minutes or until they are soft, do not brown.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and continue cooking them, stirring constantly, until the flour turns golden brown. Whisk in the red wine and chicken stock, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Then add the tomato, garlic, bay leaf, salt, pepper and thyme. Replace the chicken skin side up, sprinkle it with the bacon strips and let the sauce return to the boil.

Without covering the pan, transfer it to the preheated oven and cook the chicken for 25 minutes until it is cooked through. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven (the handle will need a double thickness of pot holder) and set it over a burner.

Lift the legs from the pan and cut them in half and separate the drumsticks from the thighs. Return the skillet to a burner and let the sauce come to a boil, remove the bay leaf and, if the sauce is too thick, add a few spoonfuls of extra chicken stock or water. If it is too thin, let it bubble steadily for a few minutes and reduce it slightly.

Set a drumstick and thigh on each of 4 dinner plates and spoon the sauce around them. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, if available, and serve at once.