One of the things that I think will make my French experiment more or less successful will be my ability to prepare a well-balanced, but delicious meal with relative ease. To that end, I thought I would share some of my stand-by menus. Tonight, for your consideration, we have the following meal planned:
- Roasted chicken
- Roasted Dutch yellow baby potatoes with parsley
- Green beans with butter
To round out the meal, there's fresh baguette with French butter, wine and sparkling mineral water (my favorite, Lemon Perrier).
What makes this particular meal especially easy to prepare is the fact that both the chicken and the potatoes are roasted for roughly the same amount of time, and at the same temperature. So, they can share the oven!
Roasted chicken
The amount of chicken you make will depend on the number of people you are feeding, but the cooking instructions aren't really quantity-dependent. (Unless, of course, you are feeding an army and need multiple baking sheets and turns at the oven!) In my case, I am cooking for two and expecting to have a little left over for my lunch tomorrow.
Ingredients
1 chicken breast, bone-in, skin-on (12-13 oz--it was the smallest the butcher had!)
1 chicken leg/thigh (7-8 oz)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt
Pepper
Lawry's Garlic Salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 °F. If you have convection, I recommend using it. If not, you might need to cook everything a little bit longer.
Brush the chicken with a light coating of olive oil. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, and (optional) garlic salt. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (if you want slightly easier clean up). Roast in oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until the skin is a medium golden brown.
Roasted baby potatoes with parsley
Again, the quantities will depend on the number of people you're feeding and your oven capacity. In my case, I prepared 4 baby potatoes per person. I'm not planning on any leftovers and keeping French portions in mind.
This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes recipe. I modified it by replacing the rosemary with fresh chopped parsley, which I prefer.
Ingredients
4 Dutch yellow baby potatoes per person
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
Parsley, chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 °F as you would for the roasted chicken. Slice off a bit of the bottom of each potato so that it will not roll around when you place it on the baking sheet. Then, carefully slice the tops about 3/4 of the way down at about 1/4" intervals. Place all the sliced potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and then toss to coat the potatoes evenly. Place them on a baking sheet, sliced side down, and place in the oven.
Roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are a delicious golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Sauteed Green Beans with Butter
Ingredients
French haricots verts or other thin green beans (small handful per person to be served)
Kosher salt
Pepper
Butter
Instructions
Boil some salted water in a small sauce pan. When the water is boiling, add the green beans (washed and trimmed) and boil for three minutes. Immediately remove the beans from the hot water and place them into an ice bath to stop the cooking and ensure a vibrant green color is preserved. At this point, you can either throw them back into the sauce pan or put them into a saute pan back over low heat. Add a small pat of butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the beans so that they are covered in the melting butter and, once all the butter has melted and covered the beans, serve immediately.
For some variety, try swapping these roasted potatoes with some couscous, oven fries, mashed potatoes, or rice. Other vegetable options include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccolini, green salad, or tomato salad.
Enjoy! Or, as they might say in France, Bon Appetit!
