Split Roast Chicken

 This recipe is one of my favorites. It is an incredible way to roast a chicken for a Sunday dinner. Best of all the meat, veg and potatos are all done with one pan so there is minimal clean up.

I found this recipe reading through a back issue of Cook's Illustrated while I was looking for a new way to make vegetables. Boiled veggies are good but you lose a lot of flavour to the water. If you are using the water for gravy or stock then you can save it but otherwise the flavour is gone. Roast vegetables keep all the flavour and get some extra sweetness from the roasting and caramelization as they cook. This recipe has the added bonus that the chicken bastes the vegetables as they cook so you get a hint of the chicken flavour in the vegetables.

The meat comes out moist with really crispy skin. I made a couple of changes to the recipe reducing the amount of butter and vegetable oil. You don't need as much as they suggested because the chicken gives off a lot of its fat and if you use the full amount of butter then the vegetables are drowned in fat. I also usually add some other veggies to the pan. In the past I have added broccoli, parsnips, pearl onions, and whole garlic cloves in their skins. I always add the whole garlic cloves. As they cook they get really sweet and the result is incredible. The harsh taste is gone and you can eat them whole and it tastes like garlic candy. (I know it sounds weird but give it a try.)

The recipe quickly entered my top recipes and we have made it pretty much every month since I found the recipe. Once the summer comes around likely we are going to go to my beer can chicken on the BBQ, (see future post) because running a 475 degree oven for the better part of an hour is insane when it is 32C out with 100% humidity and blasting the AC.

Courtesy Cook's Illustrated February March 2012:

Pan Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Adjust oven Rack to the upper middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees.

6 garlic cloves peeled and minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use 1 1/2 teaspoon)

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

3/4 pound of Brussels sprouts trimmed and halved

3/4 pound of red potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces (I use the mixed mini potatoes)

1/2 pound shallots peeled and halved

4 carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, thick ends halved lenghtwise

My Additions

8 cloves of whole garlic in their skins

1 parsnip peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces, thick ends halved or quartered lengthwise

2 onions peeled and quartered leaving the root to keep the quarters together.

Toss the veggies with oil and herbs in a bowl to cover them in the oil and spice.

1 full chicken

Split the chicken into its parts, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and split the breasts in half width wise leaving the skin and bones on. It should give you 8 pieces in total. The skin and bones are important to keep the moisture in because the oven is going to run really hot and unprotected meat will dry out very quickly. If you want to reduce the fat pull the skin off after cooking.

Spread vegetables over a large rimmed baking sheet. I use a thick aluminum baking sheet but non stick will work. (Best to use metal because cheap glass and expensive stoneware will break because the bottom of the pan isn't evenly covered.) Place the meat on top of the vegetables making sure the Brussels sprouts or any other soft vegetables are under the meat and in the middle. The Brussels sprouts or onions will cook faster so they need the protection of the meat. Also they get basted by the fat of the chicken making them delicious.

2 tablespoons melted butter (I use just 1 tablespoon)

2 teaspoons Thyme

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Combine the five ingredients in a bowl and using a basting brush spread over the skin of the chicken.

Place in the oven and roast until the drumsticks or thighs reach 175 degrees and the breast reach 160 degrees, usually about 35-40 minutes turning the pan halfway through cooking.

Remove chicken from the pan and loosely tent for 5 to 10 minutes.

Chicken Curry

When I first moved out I think Mum was a little nervous. Yes I could cook and I would cook the occasional pasta sauce or meal for myself but it is entirely different cooking a meal now and then, and cooking every day for yourself. When I called home and explained to mum what I had just made chicken curry for dinner I think she knew I would be ok.

This recipe is one of my oldest and we make it frequently, which is rare for me because I usually make something once or twice then move on to a new challenge. I found the base recipe on a website but I have since changed it quite dramatically and I adjust it everytime I make it depending on what I have in the fridge so each batch is unique. The original print out is worn and creased from being in the binder and the margins are filled with notes and additions. All the years of work have created a curry that balances sweetness of the fruit and tomatoes with the spice of the ginger and paprika.

            1/4 cup olive oil
            3 onions, chopped

Fry the onions in olive oil until browned.

            1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
            1 bay leaf

Add the cinnamon and the bay leaf.

            2 cloves crushed garlic
            1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
            1 teaspoon paprika
            3 tablespoons curry powder
            1/2 teaspoon white sugar

            1 pinch salt

Continue stirring and add the ginger, paprika, curry powder, sugar, salt, and garlic. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Mixture will become much like a paste.

             1 (3 pound) whole chicken, skin removed and cut into pieces
            1 tablespoon tomato paste 

Add chicken pieces and tomato.

            water to cover

Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Simmer until chicken is done, about 20 minutes.

            Juice of 1 Lemon

            Juice of 1 Orange
            Juice of 1 Lime
            1 Banana - mashed
            1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Just before serving, add the lemon juice and the cayenne pepper. 

Simmer for 5 more minutes until the flavours mix and then serve.

Roast Potatoes

There are a lot of things I love about Cook's Illustrated. At the top of the list is the way they find new techniques using the science of food to improve classic recipes. Their recipe for roast potatoes is a great example of this.

At home, in restaurants or at banquet halls I have always had roast potates with the potatoes quartered or cut into 1" pieces. Their technique to slice them allows for even cooking and shorter cooking times. They also recommend that the potatoes are parboiled and roughened up then cooked on a preheated cookie sheet so the potatoes sear and crisp faster while keeping the centers nice and soft.

Growing up we had roast potatoes at my parents' house pretty much every Sunday dinner from when I could eat solid food and they were all subtly different, crispier, softer, more browning, less browning... My mum always said that you never make the same roast potatoes twice. Now I have made this recipe a number of times with varying results all delicious. They have been perfectly crisp with tender centers or really crispy almost like very thickly cut potato chips. No matter how they end up they are always delicious.

I lost the original recipe from Cook's Illustrated but the key thing here is the technique.

Preheat the oven to 400F and place a large baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

1 medium potato per person

Slice the potatoes into 1/4" slices.

Bring a pot of water to boil and salt water to taste. Par boil the potatoes for 5 minutes just enough so that the surface of the potatoes are softened up.

1/4 tbsp of vegetable oil per potato

1/4 tsp of salt per potato very coarsely ground

Herbs and spices as needed

The spices should compliment the flavours of the main dish.

Drain the potatoes and place them in a lidded bowl or the pot you just used. Pour the oil salt and spices over top of the potatoes.

Add the lid and shake the potatoes in a circular motion. You are trying to use the salt and spices to scuff up the surface of the potatoes creating extra surface area so they brown really quickly.

Remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven and place the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. The potatoes should sizzle a bit when they hit the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes turning the potatoes half way through.

Remove from the oven and serve. You should have really crisp outsides and soft insides.

First Post

Food and cooking has always been something I have really enjoyed. I give the start to my mum who set a really high standard with her fantastic dinners and baking. She also used to let me bake cookies and cakes when I was younger and then she would look after my mess. I really credit that to allowing me to enjoy the fun parts of cooking without any of the consequences of cleaning.

It was also fortunate that my first job as an industrial designer was to design some amazing kitchen gadgets and accessories for a cutting edge brand. That job got me thinking about the 'how' of cooking for the first time. It also coincided with moving out for the first time so it forced me to cook for myself every night, well two to three times a week. I was always trying new things in the kitchen but having to think about how food is made and how to use the tools for cooking was a new challenge.

A subsequent job was as a product developer for a major retailer and fortunately I was able to work on kitchen accessories, gadgets, and spice. I really love working in this category because unlike some of the categories of some of my co-workers I get to practice using the products and I really enjoy the results. It appears that I have stumbled on to something I love and I found a way to turn it into a job.