Monday: My kitchen is covered in a fine layer of schmaltz

Since I wimped out of making my roast chicken last night, I had to make it tonight to get back on schedule.  I wanted to see how the "pasture raised" chicken they sell at whole foods would work without brining or any elaborate presentation, since this is supposed to be how chickens are supposed to be (although apparently they still have some detractors).  My recipe was as simple as I could think of:

• The chicken
• A few tablespoons of melted butter
• Half a Meyer lemon/some onion slices, two sprigs of rosemary

Wash and dry the chicken, cram everything inside the empty chicken tummy, and then douse in the butter.  Top with a bit more rosemary and some pepper.  Throw the whole thing in a roasting pan and roast at 375 until the chicken is done (160/165 breast/thigh temperatures).

I added an extra step in the middle by slicing up two potatoes into "fries," tossing with a bit of olive oil (maybe a tablespoon at the very most), then sprinkling some sea salt and pepper.  I put the fries into the pan first, and put the chicken on top.  This caused the bottom to not cook as quickly, so I flipped the chicken once (an hour-ish the first side, 20 minutes-ish the second).

Although it slowed down cooking, the end result was worth the wait.  The potatoes sucked up all the rosemary flavored schmaltz that dripped out of the chicken, turning into tender little flavor...um...nouns.  They were a bit too greasy, so next time I might just skip the olive oil step.

Despite the "vegetables cooked with pork counts as pork" rule, I made my veggie side by taking my conveniently preheated cast iron skillet out of the oven, adding a teaspoon of bacon grease from the fridge, and then frying sliced romaine hearts for a minute or two (until browned and half wilted).  I topped with some parmesan.  Very good, and had a nice bacon-y flavor. I'd probably try to get the pan hotter next time, as I think it was just a bit wiltier than I wanted.  A higher temperature should get the fried side done before the other side wilts too much.

Now to plan out leftovers.  I'm thinking that I'll do a pot pie one day, although I'll need to get puff pastry and some suitable veggies to go inside.  I still have lots of the fries, so tomorrow will probably just be a repeat of today.