roast chicken and potatoes

a whole chicken always scared me. especially looking at it raw. i never wanted to touch it. and roasting a whole one? i don't think so.
well, i didn't think so. until i found the easiest recipe known to mankind. it's no wonder this recipe has so many great reviews. it's so simple and the result is a deliciously moist roast chicken with a salty crispy skin! so the hubby and i gloved ourselves and got ready to prepare the chicken.
i also parboiled potatoes (already cut into serving size) then threw them into the roasting pan half way through the chicken's cooking time. i like to leave my chicken in to roast a bit longer than the recipe calls for, but that's because the skin just gets better and better. :)

enjoy!

My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken - Bouchon, October 2004
Mon Poulet Rôti

Ingredients:
one 2-3lb organic chicken
kosher salt & black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken — I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone — I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want.

Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

sidenote: i've made this 3 times now, and i haven't trussed the chicken yet. maybe i'll try next time. :)

cPe 2008

sunday supper

.a twisted surf 'n turf.

after a refreshing weekend, we decided to have dinner at home and just relax. i wanted a good steak. e wanted something saucy. so i pulled out the bridal shower gift from my aunt - a book/folder with her favorite homemade recipes! e spotted a specific recipe that he was dying to try... "uncle g's favourite steak". now this isn't your normal steak. no, this one has a whiskey sauce poured ontop!
i made a huge portion of shrimp couscous that day, and we had plenty over. that was the accompanying side dish to the main star, the steak. and there we had our version of a surf 'n turf meal.
now, onto the recipes. as far as grilling the steak, i only used kosher salt and pepper, and very hot grill pan; cooked 5mins on each side for a "medium" steak. you can grill the steak however you like. what's most important is the sauce.

whiskey sauce
ingredients:
1/4 stick of butter
1 small shallot, diced
2 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp ap flour
1/2 cup of veg or beef broth
1/2 cup of heavy cream
kosher salt & pepper
fresh parsley, roughly chopped

steps:
melt the butter in a medium-heat saucepan and add the diced shallots. add the minced garlic as the shallots begin to brown. once the garlic and shallots of browned to your liking, add flour and stir. then add the broth. i used organic beef broth, which gave more depth to the final flavor.
at this point, you can turn up the heat a bit so that the broth mixture can boil for a minute or so. once it has reached boiling point, turn it back down to medium-high and add the heavy cream while stirring. once the sauce starts to thicken, give it a taste and add as much or as little salt & pepper you'd like. then add the freshly chopped parsley and it's ready!

now onto the side dish...

spicy shrimp couscous
ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of ginger, freshly grated
1/2 onion, diced
1 bag of cleaned shrimp (no shells or tails)
2 handfuls of snap peas
1 cup of peas
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp red-pepper flakes
1 tbsp masala
kosher salt & pepper
1 cup of couscous
1 small container of plum tomatoes
2 handfuls of feta
1 handful of freshly chopped parsley

steps:
heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan. add the onion, garlic and ginger and allow to brown slightly. add the shrimp, snap peas and all spices, mixing thoroughly so that all ingredients get some flavor. once the shrimp are cooked, and the mixture is just about ready, add some more olive oil (total amount of olive oil depends on the amount of couscous used. check the container for specific amounts). once the added oil is heating up, add the peas - as these barely need any cooking.
add this entire mixture to a bowl containing the couscous, and thoroughly mix so as to incorporate the oil especially. cover the bowl with foil, to allow the couscous to absorb the oil and heat.
after 5-7mins, the couscous is done. add the plum tomatoes, feta and parsley... your side dish (or any-day lunch) is now done!

this entire meal takes maximum 5mins of prep time, 20mins cooking time, and approximately 15mins eating time. :)
enjoy!!


cPe 2008