Serving Up Sedar

I had to help out the Poppers, so I made Passover dinner last week, letting my Jewish side shine through. Admittedly, I did pull a bit of a Sandra Lee and use box mixes (upon his request). That probably won't happen again so let's move on from that quickly, shall we?

I did whip up a "perfect" roast chicken a la Ina, although in my recipe search I found that everyone claims their roast chicken is perfect. Not so interestingly, these recipes are all very similar. I will say with a long-cooking recipe like this, you will want to check your oven temperature with an actual thermometer to make sure you have it right. You never know when onions might become "deeply carmelized" as my dad calls it; however, the onions get discarded when you make the gravy, so even some extra carmelization won't kill you.

Another perk of the roast chicken? Chicken salad! I had to make lunch for five on short notice so thank heavens we had a bit of leftover. Just toss it with some mayo, mustard, and lemon juice. Ok and salt and pepper. And some cherry tomatoes if you have them.

I'll just end by letting you know that this truly is the best roast chicken. By all accounts.

Perfect Roast Chicken

Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Ina Garten)

Serves 3 to 4

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch fresh thyme (I tied it together with kitchen string)

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 Spanish onion, thickly sliced

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.*

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.

Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook in high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy in a small saucepan and season it to taste.** Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.

Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with warm gravy.

*If you want to roast vegetables with the chicken, place 8 whole new red potatoes and 4 carrots, cut diagonally into quarters, and add them with the onions. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables for roasting.

**If you find the sauce too thick to strain simply add more broth or even plain water, while it is still over the heat. After you reach the desired consistency, strain the gravy into a saucepan.

Mustard Mayhem

Since it's finally feeling like winter in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area (sort of, anyway), I've been trying to do some things in the oven. And not just desserts this time! Now that the holidays are over I can get back to actual meals rather than just cakes, cookies and scones.

Last night I decided to whip out Barefoot Contessa's "Back to Basics," her latest cookbook. As it was a weeknight and my back is 75 years old, I decided to try one of her simpler concoctions: Mustard Roasted Fish. She calls for creme fraiche, which I didn't have so I used Greek yogurt instead; this worked JUST fine.

Tonight I'm hoping to have time to make Ina's mustard roasted potatoes, from "Barefoot Contessa at Home." I almost convinced my dad to make these on Christmas, but he changed his mind at the last second, so I haven't tried these yet. But I don't see how I can go wrong with them.

I worried that making these two items together might result in a little mustard overload, but it is convenient to have two dishes use the same oven temperature as well as many of the same ingredients.

I also feel the need to note that Ina is VERY specific in her new cookbook about the importance of the correct salt in recipes; when she says kosher she MEANS kosher.



Mustard Roasted Fish
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Ina Garten



4 8-ounce fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1-2 teaspoons dried capers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, or prepare a baking dish. Place the fish skin side down on the baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Combine the crème fraîche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Barefoot Contessa at Home
Ina Garten

2.5 pounds small red potatoes
2 yellow onions
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on a sheet pan. Cut onions into half-rounds and toss with potatoes on sheet pan. Add olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and pepper, and toss everything together.

Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until potatoes are lightly browned. Toss from time to time during baking so they brown evenly. Sprinkle hot potatoes with parsley and more salt to taste, and serve.