Somedays the pots defeat me. The prospect of washing up often causes me to escape the kitchen and leave Ken to do the work.
So, what comes to mind is a casserole - a one dish wonder. Casseroles appear to be straightforward since they are baked in a single dish, but their preparation can involve many, many steps and a whole harvest of ingredients.
If I want to simplify things, I turn to a roast. Roast chicken, roast beef, roast duck, roast lamb. The meat doesn't need a lot of fussing and the results are usually very satisfying, especially if you splurge on a high quality cut.
I often add potatoes and shallots to the roasting pan - this and a salad complete the meal.
Recently I have become a bit weary of the same-old, same-old. So to mix it up a bit, I decided to forego the potatoes and make a bread stuffing instead. And in place of shallots, root vegetables marinated in a spicy chili sauce.
It may sound daunting but in fact it does require a lot of time, technique or exotic ingredients. Give it a try. You'll end up with only one pan to wash!
BT's Easy Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
1 small/medium young free range chicken
1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 grind black pepper
For Bread Stuffing:
1 1/2 cups (150 grams bread cubes) - best to buy from a bakery
3 ribs celery
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium green apple - peeled
1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 grinds black pepper
6 tablespoon boiling water
For Root Vegetables:
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon harissa
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic - crushed
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
12 leaves fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 grinds black pepper
2 cups combined of any of the following:
-Parsnip
-Carrot
-Potato
-Sweet Potato
-Celeriac
-Jerusalem Artichoke
-Acorn Squash
-Onion
-Garlic
Directions:
Make Stuffing:
Add vegetable oil to frying pan and turn flame to medium
Dice onion and celery and add to pan
Sauté 4-5 minutes or until vegetables wilt
Add salt, pepper, sage and thyme
Sauté 1 minute more
Add bread cubes to a bowl
Pour sautéed vegetables on top
Add boiling water
Grate apple on fine gauge into mix
Stir and reserve in refrigerator
Prepare Vegetables:
Clean and chop vegetables in large chunks
Mix together honey, garlic, harissa, coriander, cumin, lemon juice, salt and olive oil
Add black pepper and fresh mint
Add vegetables and reserve at room temperature
Preheat oven to 425 F. (210 C.)
Wash chicken thoroughly
Rub skin with cut lemon inside and out
Stuff cavity of chicken with prepared dressing
Place chicken breast-up in shallow pan
Scatter marinated vegetables around chicken
Drizzle olive oil over chicken
Sprinkle with salt and thyme
Grind black pepper over surface
Place chicken in oven and roast for 15 minutes
Reduce heat to 375 F. (190 C.) and roast for 45-50 minutes
Interior temperature should reach 165 F. (74 C.)
Remove chicken and let rest 10 minutes
Scoop out stuffing
Carve
Serve!
Enjoy! !בתיאבון
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