Posted: March 31st, 2010 | Author: Barton | Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
A co-worker asked about what to make for dinner tonight. I replied that I need a few more constraints to make a recommendation, to which she replied that it needed to be quick and preferably possess aphrodisiac qualities. I suggested oysters - requiring zero prep time and besides, what’s sexier than an oyster? However, I had to think of an option for someone that didn’t own a shucking knife or the skills to use one without losing a finger or two. My cube-mate suggested dispensing with food altogether and just opening up a bottle of booze.
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Posted: March 3rd, 2010 | Author: Barton | Filed under: Recipes | Tags: chicken, italian, one-pot | No Comments »
After many sacrificial birds and a household disdain for weekday recipes over an hour, I’ve managed to get this one completely nailed. Playing with a kitchen timer and my trusty Le Creuset in the quest for a perfect balance between flavor, crispy skin and juicy chicken, I came to the realization that while roasting a whole chicken at lower temperatures yields excellent results, the time it takes pushes into dangerously low-blood-sugar levels on weeknights. In an attempt at keeping myself and the people around me sane, cranking up the nuclear option also happened to yield a perfect bird and veggies in about half of the time without worry of sending myself and my fellow diners to the hospital from either crankiness or salmonella. While setting the oven to 500° F sets off all of the smoke alarms in my apartment and drives the dog insane without even putting anything in the oven, the results are well worth it. Although remember to always check your bird’s temp - for chicken, a thermometer inserted deep into the thigh and/or the thickest part of the breast should read 165° F minimum according to USDA guidelines.
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