So I think we can all agree that Tyler is going to be one sad boy when school goes back to being super busy and he isn’t getting awesome delicious home-cooked meals all the time. I mean its not like I totally slack off (even if it appears so from the blogging frequency) but I certainly rely on good ol’ simple standard WAY more. But that is besides the point right now. For now he is in happy husband heaven and good food abounds. And hopefully the food and blogging will stay, at least for a bit.
Anyways, I decided to test out some dishes the other night. I always hesitate undertaking big new things when I am serving to a crowd. I tend to learn a lot the first time and try two is almost always better. Plus I tend to forget silly things like seasonings when distracted so the more comfortable I am with what I am making, the better. So with Tyler’s parents coming in July and thinking ahead to a possible Thanksgiving dinner at our place come October (yep, our Thanksgiving is different in Grenada) I thought I should try out some big crowd dishes. So roast chicken and potatoes it was!
I have never roasted a chicken. I mean the principles behind it seem easy – and I have helped with dozens or dinners but never really done. And I can now see why dinner is never on time, it seems the bird just decided how long it is going to take without informing you or the logical recipe you are following.
But anyways, I found this roast chicken recipe in my Bon Appetit magazine and decided it was perfect to try. I used two small Cornish hens mostly due to the actual small chickens looking horrible that day and we are only two people, how much can I make? I must say the recipe is superb. Loved the flavors! My little chickies decided to take their sweet time cooking. And I since decided that to get that crispy and brown skin they had in their photographs I should probably up the cooking temp earlier on. My internal temperature was where it needed to be before the skin ever started to brown. I waited a while longer, but I was getting hungry and fearing I would overcook the meat. Also maybe more honey, but I think it was mainly a temperature thing.
Chickens before the oven - already looking tasty.
The second dish that got attempted that night was these fully-loaded gorgonzola roasted potatoes. These were seriously so delicious. I was pretty sure the recipe was going to bomb-diggity the minute I read it – I mean potatoes and cheese and bacon is ALWAYS delicious. But it was so worth every minute of waiting for them to roast. I am contemplating making them again for lunch today just because they are so tasty.
No reposting of the recipes for me today – none of my own work really went into these. But, honestly I was able to use so many local ingredients that minus the waiting time, these were actually quite simple. The local rosemary packs were super cheap and created amazing flavor in the chicken (and made my house smell amazing! Plus local potatoes are easy to come by along with all the fresh herbs to go on top.
These are well worth the try – I know I will be making them again!
Enjoy!
The eggplant season is in full swing. And let me tell you, they are beautiful! I have always liked eggplant, but honestly they can be a little expensive in the states. I also never really used them to make too much outside of Italian food. An eggplant parmesan here and there was generally the extent of my eggplant usage. But when I learned I could get a couple pounds for about 3EC, I decided I needed to branch out.