2 Mon Poulet Rôti (aka, the Best Roast Chicken EVER)

I've been making this recipe for a few years. I have other recipes that I like, but this one is by far the easiest, yields the crispiest skin and juiciest meat. It's the famed Thomas Keller's Mon Poulet Rôti, found on Epicurious.com.

Ingredients:

Small 2-3 lb hen
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
few teaspoons thyme
1/2 medium onion roughly chopped (opt)
3-4 cloves smashed garlic (opt)

Yes, really, that's all you need.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

While I was at Costco the day I made this, I found these nice Coleman Organic hens in a two pack, so of course I knew exactly what I'd be doing for dinner that night.

Rinse and dry the chicken thoroughly.  Stuff some paper towels between the wings and drumsticks, and in the cavity (and remove those giblets, though mine didn't have any) and get it really dry.  Then set it up in your roasting pan.  I like to leave some of the paper towels there for now to help with grip.

Salt and pepper the cavity well, and stuff it with the onion and garlic, if using.  It takes a bit longer to cook when you use the aromatics, but I really like the flavor they impart.

Cover the cavity, flip over and salt and pepper the back and breast liberally.  Truss the chicken if you like (it's quite easy - here's a video tutorial)  Mine looks sort of weird because I could not for the life of me find my butcher's twine, and so instead I used doubled up cotton sewing thread.  Whatever works, as long as it's a natural fiber!

Before trussing:

After trussing with my pitiful, fragile cotton thread.  Place the seasoned, trussed chicken into your roasting vessel of choice.  Here I'm using my oval 3.5 quart vintage Le Creuset roaster, but I've also made this in shallow rectangle roasting pans with equal results, it's just a little messier for whatever reason.

Slide it into the oven, and then don't touch it!  No basting is necessary.  Roast at 450 for about an hour, until the juice runs clear and the meat reaches an internal temp of about 165.  Mine was a little larger, so it was done in an extra 20 minutes.

Remove the roaster and add the thyme to the juices in the pan, and then baste the chicken all over with the drippings.

Then I like to finish with another sprinkle of thyme on top.  For a quick and easy veg, chop the other half of that onion, some bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini - whatever you like - and toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast during the last 15 minutes at 450.

The meat is sooo tender and juicy, and it really couldn't have been easier!  It tastes decadent without being so, though you could certainly up the luxe-factor and do as Thomas Keller suggests, and slather the meat with fresh butter and Dijon mustard.  Amazing!

My excellent lunch of cold roast chicken the next day with a side of pan roasted mushrooms and asparagus.

0 Dijon-Braised Fingerling Potatoes

I spent all day at my in-law's house yesterday, and cooked all day long!  I made boeuf bourguignon, (again!) roasted brussels sprouts, brown-braised pearl onions & mushrooms and these potatoes.  Loved every minute of it.  These potatoes are so delicious, and incredibly easy to make.  Really!  There's not even any potato-peeling involved (which is my least favorite part about preparing potatoes.)  This recipe can easily be made ahead of time, and it can be served either hot or at room temperature.

3-4 tbls olive oil
1.5-2 lbs Fingerling potatoes scrubbed clean (just eyeball the amount for your size family)
1 small yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
2-3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tbls thyme
salt/pepper to taste

First, scrub those babies clean.  I got these really nice fingerlings from Costco the other day, and it had not only your average white and yellow varieties, but some really pretty red and purple potatoes too!

Next, in a large, deep pot heat your oil on med-high heat.  Be really careful about this - most likely your potatoes will still be wet if you haven't given them time to dry, and you'll get oil splatter from the water, so stand back and have a splatter shield at the ready!  Yeah, I would know about this.

Add some salt and pepper, and cook, stirring every few minutes until all the potatoes are coated in oil and start browning.  Careful with the salt - you can always add more later.  Then add the onion and garlic.

Cook the onion and garlic for about 1-2 mins

Next, add the broth, just enough to barely cover the potatoes (not too much) and also add the mustard and thyme, bring to a boil and then turn down to med-low and let bubble gently for 20-25 minutes or until a knife slides cleanly through.

Now, when you're ready to serve them, you can either have the sauce as-is, (if it's thick enough to your liking)  or you can remove the potatoes to your serving dish with a slotted spoon or spider and rapidly boil and reduce down the remaining sauce.  After tasting and adjusting seasonings, you can spoon it over the potatoes when it's time for the table.

Garnish with parsley and enjoy!