A winning chicken dinner.

I love roasting a chicken for dinner. Yes, it is usually a weekend activity, but unless you have a small army to feed one roast chicken will provide several meals in the coming week. Jared and I will usually save the breasts and then slice some and shred the rest to be used in sandwiches, quesadillas, pasta, salads.... You can really stretch one bird with a little creative thinking.

I've been roasting chickens about as long as I have been cooking, thanks in no small part to Ina Garten's enthusiasm for this simple preparation. In that time, I have tried many recipes and really it is hard to go wrong if you watch the temperature at the end and follow the directions. When I found this recipe over the winter, however, it quickly became my very favorite take on this classic dish.

Crisp skin, juicy chicken, fragrant rosemary, and crispy potatoes. A wonderful and comforting meal to end the week. Throw in a pan of rustic roasted carrots and you've got a complete meal.

The potato preparation is completely novel to me and I love it. You boil the potatoes first, then jostle them about in the pan to "fluff" up their exterior. In the process, it feels very wrong, like they will all break apart leaving you with a mess. But in the oven, all of that potato fluff coating crisps up creating the most delicious potatoes. Save a few for breakfast the next day, if you can, as they are fantastic with a fried egg.


Crisp-Skinned Chicken with Crispy Rosemary Potatoes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, January 2011

Serves 4, or 2 with plenty of leftovers

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise, 3/4 inch thick
Coarse salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 whole chicken, about 4 1/2 pounds (be sure to remove anything from the cavity, like giblets)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 small bunch fresh rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, 11 to 13 minutes, checking that a knife slides in and out without resistance. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Shake the potatoes over low heat to dry and fluff their exteriors. Don't shake so hard to break them up, but get a nice even coat of fluff. Remove from heat, coat with oil, and season with salt.


2. Mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt and the cornstarch. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub skin with butter, coating the skin evenly. Sprinkle the salt mixture over the bird evenly and stuff a few sprigs of rosemary into cavity. Pile remaining rosemary in the middle of a rimmed baking sheet covered in parchment.

3. Place chicken on the rosemary, breast side up, tucking the wings under. Truss the legs with kitchen twine. Scatter the potatoes around chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and carefully flip the potatoes. Return to the oven, rotating sheet. Roast until chicken juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes more. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. If potatoes aren't golden all over, toss them with the rosemary, and return to oven for a few minutes until they are crisp on all sides.

Daydreams of autumn.

I have been thinking a lot of the season to come and put this treasury together for inspiration. Classes are gearing up, which means lots of busy days. Back with a recipe Friday.

A favorite fruit in a favorite salad.

I wanted to share two things with you today: one of my favorite fruits and a super simple salad that highlights this delicious fruit. Growing up, I had seen Asian pears in the market, but never ate one. In fact, it never even occurred to me to buy one for years. That is, until I found this salad last year.

Since then, they have become an absolute favorite of mine. They are crisp and clean like an apple, but sweet and juicy like a pear. I love them out of hand, but there's something about them in this salad... the combination is nearly perfect. The salad is also ridiculously easy to make and handles substitutions really well. The original recipe called for arugula and champagne vinegar, but my husband is not an arugula fan so I used spinach and I don't have champagne vinegar so white wine vinegar had to do. However, I would argue it's just as good. The combination of the celery, Asian pear, and vinaigrette with the greens work so well, like each ingredient was made for the other.

If you're tired of the same old side salad or you've been wanting something fresh and healthy to pair with pasta, chicken, steak, etc., I highly recommend this salad. And if you spot Asian pears in the store this week (especially if they're on sale) pick up a few! Meanwhile, I will be in search of more ways to enjoy this fantastic fruit.


Asian Pear and Celery Salad with Spinach
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, September 2010

Serves 4

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar vinegar
2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced on the bias
2 cups baby spinach
1 large Asian pear, cored and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Add the celery, spinach, Asian pear, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and serve.

Rustic roasted carrots with honey.

Like many home cooks, this time of year is a little tough for me. I love fall, and know its bright leaves and cooler temperatures are around the corner. The change in the weather will bring my favorites of fall including apples, apple cider, pears, root vegetables, and winter squash and with them lots of wonderful home cooked meals. On the other hand, here in the South it still feels hot like summer, but the piles of fresh corn and heaps of stone fruit no longer greet me at the market each week.

I wish autumn would hurry up and get here, but I know that once winter comes and the holidays are over I will be wanting a great tomato and some watermelon. Although I shouldn't rush the transition, just like every other year at this time I have already bookmarked recipes to try and I even roasted a chicken with crispy potatoes this week, which is madness when I consider that it feels like August outside.

Never the less, I really enjoyed the chicken and I knew when I was planning the meal that I needed a vegetable that would feel just as cozy. If you've never roasted carrots, you must as they taste unlike any other carrot preparation. Much like a toasted marshmallow, they have an almost smokey taste from the caramelized sugars but they are not mushy as steamed carrots can be (ick). These carrots also have a drizzle of honey, which really brings out the sweetness. It sounds odd, but don't skip this step as the honey takes these from a good dish to a great one. You might wait until fall to make these (and avoid the hot oven in the heat, very smart) but I think you'll find them to be a perfect accompaniment to so many things that you, too, will make them again and again.


Rustic Roasted Carrots with Honey
Adapted from Everyday Food, May 2008

Note: I don't measure when I make these anymore. For two of us, I use one bunch of carrots, plenty of salt and pepper, oil to coat, and a good drizzle of honey at the end. This recipe easily adjusts up and down in scale as you can't really mess it up as long as you let the carrots caramelize and season them well.

Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs carrots, cut on the diagonal into 2-inch lengths. Halve pieces lengthwise if they're thick.
1 tablespoon oil
1-1 1/2 tablespoons mild honey

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Toss the carrots with oil on a baking sheet and season well with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast the carrots for 30-40 minutes, tossing once, until tender.

2. Remove the carrots from the oven and drizzle with honey. Allow them to sit for a minute or two to allow the honey to blend with the carrots and serve.