The technique called fricassée has turned up all over Europe under many different names over the past few hundred years (in English alone you might get fricace, frigasie, fricasey, frigacy...), so it's no surprise that there's an Irish variant, which dates back to at least the late 17th century. While these days "fricaseeing" something normally means to sauté the meat and then cook it further in a sauce, originally the term meant to cook sliced meat by boiling or stewing it; then the sauce would be added. The sauce usually involved eggs and cream, along with seasonings or spices meant to sharpen the effect. This is one of the ways the Irish dish is done: though in local usage, frigasses might also be made with a brown or beef-based sauce, and could include other meats -- lamb, veal, rabbit -- and vegetables.

This typical chicken frigasse is adapted from an eighteenth-century recipe from County Cavan. Like most other frigasses of the period, it's garnished with button onions and mushrooms.

For the meat:

• 3 1/2 pound stewing hen or roaster chicken
• 2 blades mace
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
• Spring of thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalks, tied together
• 6 peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 10 cups water

For the garnish:

• 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 pickling / button onions (silverskin)
• 4-8 slices bacon
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 bunch watercress

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups cooking liquid from the chicken
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 anchovies, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon mushroom ketchup (use Worcestershire sauce if you can't get mushroom ketchup)
• 2 teaspoons capers

Wipe the chicken inside and out and remove any fat from inside the carcass. Put the blades of mace and the lemon inside: truss to keep the chicken in shape. Place in a large saucepan, breast side up. Surround with the vegetables: add the herbs and peppercorns. Pour in the milk and water, which should barely cover the bird. Set over high heat and bring to a boil: cover and redoce to a slow simmer. If you've been lucky enough to acquire a genuine stewing hen, simmer for 2-3 hours until tender. If you're using a roaster, simmer for 45-60 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, prepare the garnish. Fry the mushrooms in the butter until they just color: cook the button onions (skins on) in boiling water for a few minutes to make the skins easy to get off. Then drain and peel. Roll the pieces of bacon up, lay on a baking tray and grill until crisp. Keep warm.

When the chicken is cooked, remove from cooking liquid and carve into pieces: or (if you prefer) completely remove the meat from the bones and cut into manageable serving-size pieces. Keep the meat warm while preparing the sauce.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan: stir in the flour and blend well. Remove from the heat. Strain off 2 1/2 cups of cooking liquid and gradually add to the flour and butter mixture, stirring constantly so that lumps don't form. Return to the boil to thicken, stirring constantly. Blend the egg yolk with the cream and add very gradually to the sauce. Add remaining sauce ingredients, stirring to combine: continue cooking for a few minutes. Then stir in chicken portions / pieces along with the mushrooms and onions. Warm through well: adjust the seasoning if it needs it.

Serve on a large serving dish, garnished with the bacon rolls, lemon wedges and watercress.