Sunday Supper

Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken is one of my favorite recipes.  It's really easy and I love waiting for it to cook.  It smells heavenly and makes my home feel so cozy.  I don't follow the recipe precisely, so I'll give you my version.

Ingredients
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch rosemary, thyme, sage or a combo of all
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, sliced thickly
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
8 new potatoes (I love the combo bags of red, yellow and purple from Trader Joe's)
Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

Stuff the cavity with the bunch of herbs (saving about 20 sprigs for later), both halves of 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.

Chop the onion, carrots and potatoes into thick chunks.  (Refer to photo.)  Place the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of the herbs, and just enough olive oil that the ingredients are covered so they don't burn. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Eat Your Greens

Most people don't like brussels sprouts & I can't blame them. They taste a lot like cabbage when they're boiled and I hate cabbage. Thanks cabbage soup diet.

But there's a restaurant in Silver Lake where I ordered brussels sprouts on a whim and fell in love because they were roasted.

Roasting brussel sprouts makes them nutty with a satisfying crunch and while I can eat them alone, they're particularly delicious with filet mignon. Even better, with a glass of red vino!

The best part? They're easy to make. I am the laziest cook on the planet and have never ruined these. Below is the best way to roast them according Ina Garten. Her cooking show The Barefoot Contessa actually inspires me to cook. And I'm a baker.

Ina Garten's Roasted Brussels Sprouts
(recipe & photo above are from The Barefoot Contessa cookbook)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Here's my lazy 10 minute recipe which is still darn good for being so quick.

Suzanne's Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

What you need:

- 1 to 1 1/2 cups Baby brussels sprouts.
Smaller = tastier. I like the little bags they sell at Trader Joe's
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Mixing Bowl
- Medium-sized pan

Start heating up your pan on medium heat. No spray, oil or butter.

Cut all of the brussels sprouts longways. Pop them in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over them so they're lightly coated and toss so all of the sprouts are coated. Add a dash of salt & pepper & toss again.

Pour the sprouts into the pan and put them all face-down. Let them brown & cook for 5 minutes. Then flip them over & let them cook on their backs for another 5.

Now pour them straight into a serving plate or bowl to eat. I like to add a sprinkle of sea salt for extra flavor!

Most important thing about roasted brussels sprouts?
Don't let them sit too long. Like french fries, they get mushy.