Three vibrant sides for roast chicken

Published 9:55 am Tuesday, February 2, 2010

If you’re experiencing a marginal state of mind right now when it comes to cooking, I’m reminding you of the roasted chicken cure.

Late last year, I reviewed the roasting process and hope that by now you’ve given it a whirl. (Go to: http://tinyurl.com/JanRoastChicken.) It can truly tip your attitude back over to the good side, based simply on the positive response you get while dinner’s cooking. Pets and UPS delivery folk included. It’s highly motivational.

And once your golden, succulently juicy masterpiece is pulled from the oven, that’s when you stand there in awe, thinking, “How easy was that? And look what I get.”

That’s how it was the other night for my husband and me. With one additional benefit: As empty-nesters, we had no fear of undermining young manners, so Steve and I lapsed into cave dweller mode, taking up opposing posts over the golden brown offering, eschewing knives and forks.

Utensils were finally employed once the casserole of roasted potatoes and onions was pulled from the oven and an exquisitely colored salad of fresh red and green peppers, crisp baby carrots, florets of broccoli and cauliflower, and hearts of romaine was tossed with a simple vinaigrette.

It seems that this is the style of eating I’m interested in pursuing every January: a little work, a lot of payoff in juicy flavors, colors and textures.

These kinds of creations mesh so gracefully with a simple roast chicken or simmering pot of pork stew. So perhaps I’m preaching to the choir, but I just thought the rest of you could use a few more fresh and vibrant recipes to get through these chilly winter nights.

Knife and fork are optional.

Braised cabbage with creamy Parmesan

1/2cup mayonnaise

1/4cup milk

6tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1tablespoon white wine (or rice wine) vinegar

1/2teaspoon dried dill weed

1/4teaspoon garlic powder

1head green cabbage

1/4cup butter

1/4cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, Parmesan, vinegar, dill and garlic powder. Let stand at least 15 minutes ahead so that the flavors can develop. May be prepared several days ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

When ready to serve, slice the cabbage in half from its top down through the core. With cut side down, cut each half into 1- to 2-inch wide wedges. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage and stir to coat the wedges. Saute for about 1 minute, then add the water, cover and simmer another two minutes. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Place the wedges on individual plates, top each serving with a portion of the sauce and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

Garlic-roasted potatoes with marinated artichokes

2(6 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts

1 1/2pounds red, white or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

1head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled (see note below)

1tablespoon fresh rosemary, gently crushed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees degrees.

Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving the marinade. Halve the larger artichoke pieces so they are all about the same size; set aside.

Pour the marinade into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the potatoes, artichoke hearts and garlic and toss them with the marinade until thoroughly coated. Sprinkle the rosemary on top of the vegetables, add a bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the potatoes and garlic are tender and beginning to brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note on removing cloves from a whole head of garlic: To separate whole cloves from the head, place the head root side down on a firm cutting surface. Place a flat heavy object (such as a cast-iron skillet) on top of the head and press down firmly (the head will try to scoot out from beneath your press, so some counterjiggling and pressing will be necessary). The cloves miraculously disengage from the root and center stem into a papery pile.

Next, to peel a pile of garlic cloves effortlessly, place them one at a time on the cutting surface then lay a chef’s knife (that’s the one with the wide blade) on top, with the sharp blade portion facing away from you. Press down firmly (or if you feel confident, give the flat side of the blade a firm “whack”) with your hand until the clove gives way and splits open.

Red lentil and fennel ragout with bacon, carrots and thyme

4ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips

2carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1bulb fennel, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced

1small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1teaspoon salt

2cups chicken broth or vegetable stock

1teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1cup dried lentils, soaked in warm water for 1 hour and drained

1teaspoon grated lemon zest

3tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain using a slotted spoon. To the bacon drippings, add the carrots, fennel, onion and salt. Saute for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chicken broth or vegetable stock, thyme, pepper and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The lentils are done when they’ve doubled in size and absorbed most of the broth or stock.

Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and bacon pieces and serve.

Serves 4 as an entree.

Recipe from “Wildwood, Cooking From the Source in the Pacific Northwest,” by Cory Schreiber

Crisp mashed potato cakes

3pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved

6tablespoons butter

1/3cup milk

1/3cup Parmesan cheese

1/2teaspoon salt, more to taste

1/2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4cup bread crumbs (see note below)

1large egg

2green onions, trimmed and minced

2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3cup canola or safflower oil

Place the potatoes in a large sauce pan with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, return them to the saucepan, and add the butter, milk and Parmesan. Season with the salt and pepper, and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Set the potatoes aside to cool slightly (the cakes hold their shape better if the potatoes aren’t piping hot, so you can cook the potatoes ahead of time — even the day before).

Add half of the bread crumbs, along with the egg, green onions and parsley to the potato mixture; mix well.

Form about 1/2 cup of the potato mixture (you can use a large ice cream scoop) into 4-inch cakes about 1/2-inch thick. Mix the remaining bread crumbs with the flour in a bowl. Coat both sides of each cake with the bread crumb mixture.

Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is hot enough to sizzle when you drop in a small amount of the flour-bread crumb mixture. Cook the potato cakes in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until light brown and crisp. During the cooking process you may need to lower the heat or add more oil; you want just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Keep the cakes in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Makes 6 (4-inch) cakes.

Note on bread crumbs: Purchased bread crumbs are fine in a pinch, but homemade bread crumbs taste better and are worth the effort. To make fresh bread crumbs (also called “soft bread crumbs”), put good-quality, firm bread such as sourdough or Italian white bread (not soft, white sliced sandwich bread) in a food processor or blender and process into fine crumbs. You can store bread crumbs in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. You can also season the bread crumbs with fresh or dried herbs, salt, pepper or finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Recipe adapted from “The Foster’s Market Cookbook,” by Sara Foster

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.