On last week’s Top Chef, each chef had to prepare a “last meal” for a gathering of culinary luminaries. Interestingly, each luminary requested comforting and simple dishes as a last meal, which proves that in the end, even the most accomplished chefs prefer simplicity over extravagance.
Lidia Bastianich’s request was for a roast chicken and potatoes. And that got me thinking: What would I want for my last meal? Tough decision, but roast chicken with potatoes, vegetables, popovers and gravy would certainly be in the top three, maybe top two. I LOVE roast chicken, and because I love it so much, I decided to roast one up and take pictures.
Here’s my version, based on some trial and error.
First make an herb mixture of rosemary, sage, garlic, olive oil and salt.
Separate the skin from the flesh on your chicken. Get your hand in between and spread the herb mixture under the skin and over the flesh. Really rub it in there and make sure you cover both sides — trust me, those herbs will pay dividends later. Sprinkle the skin with a generous amount of salt. Stuff the chicken with garlic cloves, onion and lemon.
When it comes to oven temperature, I get way confused, because no recipe is the same. Some say to roast at a high temp like 500 degrees, others stick by 375, and others start high then drop the temp. I keep it simple — 425 the entire time, for about 18 minutes per pound, and basting every 20 minutes.
With 45 minutes left I cut up a few red potatoes and threw them into the roasting pan with olive oil. Here’s how the chicken looked when it was done (upper thigh at 160 degrees — the juices should run clear). Take it out of the oven and let it rest.
(The potatoes weren’t quite browned, so they went back into the oven, along with cauliflower drizzled with olive oil, salt and sliced garlic. 500 degrees for 15 minutes.)
For the gravy, drain off the excess fat and deglaze all those beautiful pan drippings with a half cup of white wine. Add 2 tbsp of flour to thicken, and a cup of chicken stock. Bring it to a boil, then down to a simmer, and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you like.
When the cauliflower comes out, hit it with a squeeze of lemon and grate parmesan cheese over the top.
The finished product:
Herby, garlicky, moist, crispy skin… that’s tasty stuff. And Lidia’s right, if you gotta go, you might as well go out with a belly full of roast chicken. It’s a satisfying last meal… or, in this case, a Wednesday meal.
What would you want for your last meal?
Rosemary and Sage Roast Chicken
On last week’s Top Chef, each chef had to prepare a “last meal” for a gathering of culinary luminaries. Interestingly, each luminary requested comforting and simple dishes as a last meal, which proves that in the end, even the most accomplished chefs prefer simplicity over extravagance.
Lidia Bastianich’s request was for a roast chicken and potatoes. And that got me thinking: What would I want for my last meal? Tough decision, but roast chicken with potatoes, vegetables, popovers and gravy would certainly be in the top three, maybe top two. I LOVE roast chicken, and because I love it so much, I decided to roast one up and take pictures.
Here’s my version, based on some trial and error.
First make an herb mixture of rosemary, sage, garlic, olive oil and salt.
Separate the skin from the flesh on your chicken. Get your hand in between and spread the herb mixture under the skin and over the flesh. Really rub it in there and make sure you cover both sides — trust me, those herbs will pay dividends later. Sprinkle the skin with a generous amount of salt. Stuff the chicken with garlic cloves, onion and lemon.
When it comes to oven temperature, I get way confused, because no recipe is the same. Some say to roast at a high temp like 500 degrees, others stick by 375, and others start high then drop the temp. I keep it simple — 425 the entire time, for about 18 minutes per pound, and basting every 20 minutes.
With 45 minutes left I cut up a few red potatoes and threw them into the roasting pan with olive oil. Here’s how the chicken looked when it was done (upper thigh at 160 degrees — the juices should run clear). Take it out of the oven and let it rest.
(The potatoes weren’t quite browned, so they went back into the oven, along with cauliflower drizzled with olive oil, salt and sliced garlic. 500 degrees for 15 minutes.)
For the gravy, drain off the excess fat and deglaze all those beautiful pan drippings with a half cup of white wine. Add 2 tbsp of flour to thicken, and a cup of chicken stock. Bring it to a boil, then down to a simmer, and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you like.
When the cauliflower comes out, hit it with a squeeze of lemon and grate parmesan cheese over the top.
The finished product:
Herby, garlicky, moist, crispy skin… that’s tasty stuff. And Lidia’s right, if you gotta go, you might as well go out with a belly full of roast chicken. It’s a satisfying last meal… or, in this case, a Wednesday meal.
What would you want for your last meal?