Roast Chicken

If you haven't heard of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, you should definitely acquaint yourself with her. She has a cooking show on Food Network and her own website that's full of recipes, memoirs and the latest of her favorite things. Oh, but her recipes. This lady knows food. She knows. I can say without a doubt that I would be willing to try everything that she makes. I have have made her Perfect Pot Roast and it was true to her word - it was perfect. And tonight I made her Roast Chicken. The simplicity of the ingredients really makes the chicken delightfully delicious. When making this, use a high quality roaster or fryer chicken such as Bell & Evans. It really makes a big difference in the outcome.

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Barely Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients:

• 1 whole roaster or fryer chicken, rinsed and patted dry
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 lemons, zest them (set aside), then slice the lemons in half
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees on convection or 425 degrees for standard baking.

Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Lay the chicken on the sheet, breast side up.

Pluck the leaves from one rosemary sprig and chop them finely. Add them to the lemon zest. Combine the finely chopped rosemary and lemon zest with the softened butter in a bowl. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Coat the chicken with the butter mixture using your hands, making sure to get under the skin and in the cavity. Squeeze the lemon juice from both lemons all over the chicken, then put the lemon halves into the cavity, or as many that will fit.

Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the skin reaches a deep golden brown.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Potatoes are an excellent staple to complete almost any meal. They are quite versatile in preparation and flavor. I like to keep a couple of different varieties on hand and add a different type of potato each week to the rotation. Red potatoes are one of my favorites. They absorb flavors nicely and hold up well roasted or boiled. I like to season them to match or complement the flavor of the main course. This recipe includes my go to seasoning for roasted red potatoes as the marinade I most often use for meats feature fresh rosemary sprigs and olive oil.

Taste in Bloom Original Photo

Difficulty: Easy; Serves: 4; Total time: 30 mins

Taste in Bloom Original
Ingredients:

• 1 lb red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tsp dried rosemary
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat your oven broiler on low. Line a baking sheet with foil, lightly sprayed with cooking oil or a sheet of parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl or gallon sized plastic bag, combine all ingredients and toss to coat potatoes. Spread potatoes evenly on lined baking sheet.

Place baking sheet on top rack of oven and broil on low for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tinged with gold.