Roast chicken

Mmmmmm. That was some good chicken! I started here, and made the Lemon Chicken with Garlic version. We didn’t mess around with making sauce from the pan drippings; an ill-considered decision to bung portobello mushrooms into the pan too early resulted in fragrant, flavorful charcoal in the bottom of the roasting pan.

However, the chicken turned out to be delicious and juicy, with crispy skin and tons of herby flavor goodness.

In addition to which, we made yummy latkes!! MMMMMMMMMMM!!

We pretty much followed the recipe for Shirley Edelman’s Latkes to the letter:

Shirley Edelman’s Latkes

5 large potatoes, peeled
1 large onion
2 eggs
1/4 to 1/3 cup matzo meal
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp baking powder
vegetable oil for frying

Grate potatoes and onion. Traditionalists insist on grating by hand, noting that a little skin and blood gives latkes their unique flavor. Pragmatists—including the septuagenarian author of this recipe—have converted to using the shredder blade on a food processor. Add eggs and mix well. Add matzo meal, salt, pepper, and baking powder, and mix well. (There can be no certainty on the appropriate amount of matzo meal: every potato, every onion, and every egg is different. Cooking, like constitutional law, is a messy business.) Heat oil—again, judgment and experience must substitute for black-letter rules on amounts—in a frying pan. Add the potato mixture approximately one tablespoon at a time. Cook pancakes until golden brown; turn and cook until other side is golden.

Makes 30-40 latkes, enough for 2-10 people. Serve with applesauce, sour cream, or plain.

Based on a little post-latke research, we ended up using the right amount of oil, around half an inch. Next time it would be good to have an even bigger skillet (we have a pretty big one as it is, but could have used more room).

The roast garlic got squeezed out onto the plate with the sour cream and cinnamon applesauce and by default sort of accidentally on purpose got smooshed up with the latkes. Unexpectedly scrummy and delicious! MMMMMMM!

Oh, yes. We’ll make latkes again. Most definitely.

And roast chicken again, too. Maybe next time, we’ll do something with the pan drippings.

Via: Flickr Title: Roast chicken By: GinnyRED57
Originally uploaded: 31 Dec ’05, 11.41pm PST