The Culinary Works

Here is a dinner idea I use that involves a slight bit of cheating, i.e. not making homemade Caesar dressing and using a bag salad…but hey…we all have lives and things to do. A little cheating is ok sometimes. I like this meal because it feels light and healthy yet a bit comfort, in a bistro kind of way!

Whole chickens were on sale at my local market for $1.29 per pound. I found a bird just under 4 pounds and paid $4.89 for it! I love a bargain. The bag salad kits, which gave me the idea, were $3.00 each, I bought a Caesar kit and broccoli crowns are on sale for $ .79 per pound… so I went for the whole pound! I bought a lemon, 5 for $1.00 and will use just one, which is $ .20. I need just a bit of roasted potatoes, 8 ounces or about a cup chopped which based on the $2.99 for 5 pounds, is $.04 per ounce, which adds $ .32 to our menu. My meal, which will easily feed four cost a total of $9.20.

Recipe:

Strip the leaves from a couple sprigs of rosemary from the garden and zest the lemon. Chop the rosemary fairly fine and add the lemon zest to the pile of rosemary. Add a tablespoon of salt and run the knife through the pile a few more times. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with your rosemary mixture. Slice the lemon in half, save half and put half in the cavity of the bird with some additional salt and a sprig of rosemary. Roast on 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour or until the meat is 160 degrees and the juices run clear. Let it rest for 10 minutes after you take it out of the oven, which allows the carry over cooking to finish.

Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch discs. Drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and a bit of chopped rosemary. Lay them on a sheet pan and roast them for 30 minutes after you put the chicken in and cook until they are crisp outside and tender inside. Allow them to cool a bit.

While the chicken is roasting, steam your broccoli in a pot with a bit of water in the bottom for 6-10 minutes or until they are tender. The dish will be better if you don’t overcook them, so a tiny bit crisp is ok…they will continue to cook while they cool off.

When the chicken is done you can start to prepare your salad. Take the packet of dressing that came with your salad mix and empty it into a bowl. Squeeze the other half of the lemon in and add a dash of olive oil. Mix it up. In a bowl, toss the salad with the lettuce, croutons and cheese it came with, add the broccoli still warm and the potatoes still warm along with the dressing. Gently mix to allow everything to get a light coating of the dressing. Plate the salad next to the chicken and enjoy this lovely healthy bistro treat!