Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Author:Ruth Reichl
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: IB Dave's Library
Published: 2010-05-14T07:00:00+00:00

A F R U G A L R E PA S T

F O R B E T T Y

When I trailed Betty home, she bought cereal and dog food, but I like to think that she is the kind of person who makes herself a nice meal every once in a while and savours it slowly, over the course of a few days. This is the meal I imagine her making at the beginning of spring, when she wants to celebrate having survived yet another New York winter. It is a perfect little repast that provides wonderful leftovers that are good hot or cold.

Roast Chicken with Potatoes,

Onions, and Garlic

E veryone makes a big to-do about roasting chicken, and as a food professional I know I ought to believe that one way to tell a great cook is by his or her roasted chicken. But you know what? I think that’s all a lot of nonsense. Nothing is easier than roasting a chicken. As in most cooking, it’s all about the shopping. The main point is to begin with a good farm-raised chicken that has some flavour. Once you’ve got your bird, all you really have to do is throw it in the oven and try not to overcook it. It’s hard to ruin this, but here’s my method:

1 farm-raised chicken, about 31⁄2 pounds

1 lemon

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Betty • 231

Olive oil

3 or 4 smallish Yukon Gold potatoes (or any other variety except russet), each peeled and cut into 8 pieces

1 large onion, cut into 6 pieces

3 or 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Wash the chicken under running water and pat it dry. Remove and reserve the extra fat from the inside of the chicken. Very gently run your fingers between the breast and the skin, beginning from the neck end, loosening the skin from the breast on both sides. Being careful not to puncture the skin, place the excess fat beneath the skin (the chicken will then baste itself). Puncture the lemon a few times with a fork, and place it inside the chicken.

Pour enough olive oil into a roasting pan to make a thin film over the bottom. Toss the potatoes, onion, and garlic into the pan and turn until they are covered with olive oil.

If you have a rack, put the chicken on it, breast side up, and place it in the roasting pan (you may have to jiggle things a little to fit it over the potatoes and onions). If you don’t, just put the chicken right into the pan. Pour a little olive oil over the chicken, and salt and pepper everything in the pan.

Roast for about 1 hour, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thigh reads 170°F. Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

Carve the chicken into serving pieces, surround them with the potatoes, onions, and garlic, and squeeze the lemon over the top. Serves 4

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