Roasted Chicken with a Rosemary-Salt Crust

Roasted chicken is something that we make on a weekly basis, and what I love most about chicken is how many ways it can be seasoned and used. Essentially, this means we don't get tired of it because it's a bit different each time. This week I forgot to marinate the chicken overnight as I usually try to do so I decided to be a bit heavy-handed with the seasonings to ensure maximum flavor. What resulted was a mouthwatering, golden, salty crust over a juicy rosemary flavored chicken. Even better, the leftovers were delicious simply chopped and served cold in a salad. Hooray for leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 1 roasting chicken
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. Mix the salt, rosemary, and pepper in a small bowl.  Rub the oil all over the chicken. Gently rub the salt mixture all over the chicken. Place the chicken breast-up on a greased and foil-covered roasting pan. Sprinkle any of the remaining salt mixture evenly over the chicken.
3. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 F and bake for an additional 55-65 minutes.
4. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving (I tipped the chicken to let any excess salt fall off).

Cornish Game Hens with Roasted Carrots and Potatoes

I can't tell you the number of times I've walked past the frozen Cornish game hens at the grocery store and thought, Ooh! Oh. Uh. Never mind. I don't know how to make them. Next time.
So recently when I started to go through the same inner dialogue I cut myself off and said, Yes please, and plopped two hens in my shopping cart. Don't worry, I didn't say that out loud all by myself, I just thought it. Anyway, I'm so glad I finally tried them because they were so juicy and extremely easy to make, and it was a fun meal to have. We actually were so caught up in the meal that I forgot to take a picture of them presented on our plates which looked much prettier than this one!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cornish game hens, fresh or fully thawed overnight in fridge
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 lemon
• Salt and Pepper
• 6 large carrots, peeled
• 1 lb red baby potatoes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. 
2. Slice the lemon in half and place a half in the cavity of each game hen. 
3. Pull the leaves off the rosemary stalks,  and gently tuck the rosemary underneath the skin on the breast of the birds. Season the hens generously with salt and pepper and place breast-up in a greased baking pan lined with foil.
4. Bake the hens for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the carrots into 3" long pieces, and place in a greased baking dish. Slice the baby potatoes in half and add to the carrots. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. 
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and add the carrot and potato pan to the oven. Bake the hens and vegetables for an additional 50-60 minutes, or until the Cornish game hen juices run clear. 
6. Let the hens rest for 10 minutes before serving: place a hen on each dinner plate along with the carrots and potatoes. The meat should easily fall off the bone, but be sure to provide each diner with a sharp knife to assist with carving. Helpful tip: I like to provide a bowl for discarded bones and the lemon halves on the table.

Note: I know that many roasted bird recipes call for the wings and legs to be trussed to ensure even cooking, but I have never had an issue with an untrussed roasted bird. To each their own.

Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Garlic Sauce

I made my first rack of lamb last night, and it was delicious (don't worry, I have second opinions to back up my horn-tootin' self!).
This recipe is simple yet flavorful, which in case you haven't noticed is something I love.


Ingredients:

• 1 rack of lamb, frenched (your butcher can do this if it's not already packaged that way) 
• 3 cups red wine (Shiraz/Malbec)
• 2+6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, dried thyme

Directions:

1. Marinate the rack of lamb in a gallon-sized ziploc bag with 1/2 cup of red wine and 2 chopped garlic cloves for at least 1 hour (overnight would be great!!!). 
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a roasting pan by coating it with foil and drizzling canola oil on the base. Place the rack of lamb fat-side-up in the pan. Season generously with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and thyme, and 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary. You want to form a crust, so don't be shy about seasoning! Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on how well done you like your meat (30 minutes is a deep pink but not red).  Tent the rack and let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
3. Meanwhile, pour the remaining wine and  the garlic in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to a thick sauce, about 1/4 of the amount of liquid that you began with. 
4. Slice the rack of lamb apart by using the bones as a guide, top with a hearty spoonful of the red wine garlic sauce, and enjoy!

 

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Rosemary Panko

I first came across a stuffed pork tenderloin recipe a year ago (that I for some reason have never been able to find again) that changed the way I think of tenderloin forever. I always thought it was a dry piece of meat that was meant to be a vessel for gravy and nothing more. Hahaha silly me I was soooo wrong!

I have stuffed pork tenderloin with couscous and caramelized onions, italian breadcrumbs and sage, and finally, panko and rosemary. While these have all been delicious, my BF has decided that this week's tenderloin was one of his favorite meals I have ever made, so that's the recipe I'll share!

Feel free to tweak the recipe in any way you see fit! You can quickly toast the breadcrumbs/panko, you can stuff it with cranberries or apples, you can give it a nice pepper crust, you can do anything!!!



Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin
• Fresh rosemary
• Olive oil
• Acid for marinade (I used some of the juice that my pickled jalepenos are in, but you can use lemon juice/apple cider vinegar/orange juice/etc.)
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• Salt, pepper
• Twine/Toothpicks to fasten the stuffed tenderloin for baking

Directions:

1. In a ziploc bag, put the tenderloin, about 10 leaves of rosemary, salt/pepper to taste, and 1 part acid to 2 parts oil. Marinate this for at least 24 hours. Do not cut corners! This is where all the magic happens and the longer your tenderloin marinates, the juicier it will be at the end. 
2. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Finely dice 10 more fresh rosemary leaves. Mix it with the panko, salt/pepper (and other seasonings if you want) in a small bowl.
4. Slice the tenderloin like a hot dog bun - lengthwise and not all the way through! Using your hands, put the panko mix in the slot and then use kitchen string to tie it closed (4 pieces looped around each end and a quarter of the way in on each side). Toothpicks also work, they are just more work later to get out :)
5. Roast the tenderloin on an ungreased baking sheet in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, turning halfway through to ensure even browning. Remove the kitchen string (or toothpicks) before serving!

Enjoy!

P.S.  This goes great with "Thanksgiving-style" dishes like mashed taters and squash, as well as simple sides like peas and spinach.