Hot Potato

This is one of the secret weapons I have in my kitchen. And I owe it all to Emily's aunt Carol. She makes this fantastic roasted potatoes, which when I had them the first time they literally blew my mind. When I found out how easy they were to make, it blew my mind again (my mind has since recovered). I actually prefer these to regular baked potatoes (unless I am really in the mood for sour cream).

As far as potato variety goes, you can really use whatever you feel like. The last time I made them I used red potatoes, but russet or Yukon gold will work just as well. Just make sure you do not eat the bay leaf. It won't taste very good.

Bay Leaf Roasted Potatoes

6 potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
12 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a glass baking dish, spread olive oil over bottom. Sprinkle half of the salt over the oil. Wash the potatoes, place a bay leaf on each cut side of a potato and place it cut-side down in the dish. Sprinkle remaining salt on top of potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Let rest for a few minutes before removing bay leaf and eating.

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Hashing it Out

As promised in my previous post, the roast chicken will more than likely yield some leftovers. This is a happy thing. The idea was given to me (once again by my fiancée's father) to make a hash out of whatever I had leftover. Genius! Potatoes and chicken in a cast iron pan married with some veggies sounded like an idea I wish I had thought of 5 years ago.

The concept is pretty simple. Chop up your leftovers (I had about a pound of chicken and a pound of potatoes left over), add some veggies, season to your liking, and cook. I added a lightly poached egg over the top for some richness, not to mention the runny yolk is great for mixing it all together.

Chicken Hash

~ 1 pound chicken meat, shredded
~1 pound roasted potatoes, roughly chopped
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Salt
Pepper
garlic powder
1 T butter

Preheat your cast iron skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, the goal being to get the pan seriously hot. Add the butter followed by the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the chicken and potatoes, stirring to combine. Using the back of a wood spoon or other kitchen tool, flatten the hash into the pan so you have a nice even layer. Let this cook for about 3 minutes, then stir it up and press again, cooking for another 3 minutes. This will give the hash and nice crust. Season with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Serve by itself or with a few pouched or fried eggs on top.

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Roast Chicken

Oddly enough, roast chicken was my favorite dish growing up. It beat out lasagna, macaroni and cheese, and whatever else a kid normally goes for. To this day I love nothing more than a roasted bird with some starch and a vegetable, maybe accompanied by a nice gravy. John, my fiancées father and close cooking counterpart (say that five times fast) passed this recipe along to me last week and I decided to give it a whirl. Delicious is the first thing that comes to mind. Juicy on the inside, crisp skin on the outside, this bird pretty much has it all.

Placing a chicken in a baking dish, seasoning it and roasting it for about an hour will give you pretty good results by itself. Add maybe 4 more steps though, and you can make the penultimate bird. First, start with the bird itself. No stuffing, ever. It will only dry out your chicken. But you also do not want all of the fat and goodness to sit inside of your bird and make it soggy. So before you cook it, flip the chicken on its back and cut a few shallow ridges in the fatty underside, this will allow any rendered fat to be released and drain out (don’t worry, we will not waste it). After you cut some channels, take a thin knife or skewer and poke the chicken in its skin and fat layer all over. This will promote more fat release from the bird, giving the end goal of crispy skin.

The seasoning is pretty straight forward with the added benefit of cornstarch, which gives crispiness but no strange flavor. Roasting the bird in a rotational manner gives even browning and equal doneness. As for all that rendered goodness that we let escape? Potatoes underneath the chicken allow for an easy side dish.

Come back next time and see what to do with the leftovers.

Roast Chicken

1 4-5 pound chicken
2 t salt
1 t pepper
2 t cornstarch
1 ½ -2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
2 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 475°F. Prep chicken by cutting channels in the bottom and poking some holes in the skin all over (see above). Tuck the wings and legs in to prevent them from drying out. Combine the salt, pepper, and cornstarch and rub all over chicken. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place chicken left wing side up (it will be lying on the side) on a roasting rack and set over the pan. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes and flip over to other wing side. Roast for 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the potatoes in the oil and season with salt and pepper. When the chicken is done with its wing side roasting, remove the rack and add the potatoes to the pan, tossing them in any accumulated juices. Replace rack with chicken, now set breast side up, and put back in oven. Roast until the thigh registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (about 20 minutes). Remove chicken and let rest on rack (make sure to put a pan underneath to catch any juices). Roast potatoes for about 10-15 minutes more or until browned. Toss with any remaining chicken juices. Enjoy.

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