Spatchcocked chicken (WHAT?!)

Spatchcocked chicken is a very funny word, and is also another word for butterflied chicken, which is just another word for that thing where you take out the backbone of a chicken so that you can lay the bird flat and cook it in one layer. It allows the bird to cook more evenly, and takes less time to prepare! Chicken breast has a tendency to be too dry, as it dries out while the darker meat of the legs take more time to cook. Spatchcocking is a great remedy for this. Last week I roasted a chicken this way, and it cooked very evenly and was tender and moist throughout. Super totes awesome. 

Spatchcocked chicken served with spaghetti squash (drizzled chicken pan juices drizzled over), sauteed baby bok choy, and roasted sweet potatoes lightly dusted with cardamom and cinnamon.

I used kitchen shears to cut the backbone out of the bird. I watched this video from the NY Times, which explained everything perfectly. Watch this video and I promise you'll be fine! To accompany this dinner there was sauteed baby bok choy, spaghetti squash (with chicken juices drizzled over), and roasted sweet potatoes. It almost felt like Thanksgiving... 

Almost go-time. 

Ingredients:

One 3.5 lb whole chicken

One lemon 

salt

freshly cracked black pepper

olive oil

white wine

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Address chicken. Using kitchen shears/scissors/knife (watch this video), cut out the backbone of the chicken. Don't worry- you can do this. Take the backbone and set aside to roast. Open up the chicken, lying it flat. The NY Time's video recommends also taking out the breast bone, but I didn't, as the chicken lay flat already. Up to you!

Pat chicken dry inside and out with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. In a separate small bowl combine 2 tbl (a glug or two) of olive oil, and salt/pepper. Gently loosen the skin of the bird, and pour the oil mixture under the skin of the breast area. This part is messy so use your fingers and try to work it in. Add three to four thin lemon slices underneath the skin as well.

 Preheat a large skillet to medium/high, and place approximately one-two tablespoons of oil in the pan. Place the chicken into the hot pan, skin side down. Be cafeful, as the oil will be hot and will make a lot of noise! We want to sear the skin, which will give it a delicious crispy texture, and help to seal in all the juices while the chicken bakes.

Check after three-five minutes, and carefully place the chicken skin side up into a baking dish. Pour about a half cup of white wine over the chicken. Add the backbone and any sliced (sweet) potatoes to the baking dish if there is room.

After twenty minutes pour some more wine over the chicken and say hi. After fifty minutes total the chicken will be ready! Let the chicken rest for ten minutes, and then squeeze lemon over it before serving. Et voila!

Nomnom.

Salad dressing (is awesome)

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I know it's probably strange to see a post about salad dressing, right after a post about decadent brownies (and before a post about chocolate truffles...), but a good vinaigrette can make a salad extraordinary. Making your own dressing is easier to make than you think, and costs less than buying one overpriced bottle, filled with preservatives (even the organic ones), and a tall list of sometimes questionable ingredients. Your own dressing has three to four ingredients, max. As the great food writer Mark Bittman says, even bad salad dressing is good, so imagine what a great salad dressing would taste like.

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A common dressing is one part acid to three parts oil. If you follow this formula, you can experiment with different combinations using this ratio. I personally prefer a more tangy vinaigrette, and prefer one part acid to two parts oil. This vinaigrette is perfect for salads, but you can drizzle it over grilled chicken, fish, or even steamed greens.
Vinegars- balsamic vinegar (make sure caramel is not added for color/flavor- lies!), apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar (there are also tons of flavored vinegars that are delicious) 
Citrus- wonderful in salads, especially lemon. They have a lower acidity than vinegar, so if you want a milder dressing they would be a good pick. Lemons are most common, but you can also use limes, tangerines, oranges, and even grapefruit juice.

Mix-ins: 
-chopped shallots, red or white onions, scallions, (one tablespoon)
- a small bit of minced garlic (or put in a smashed clove and pick it out of the dressing before pouring on)
- a pinch of dried or fresh chopped herbs (tarragon, chives, whatever you have on hand)
- Mustard. I love dijon mustard, but you could try any favorite you have, or soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. However that last one is pronounced :P. 
Oils:  "bottle of the good stuff". Good quality extra virgin olive oil will shine in a salad. You could also opt to use a more neutral oil and pair it with stronger ingredients (like ginger and soy sauce), or use walnut oil to make a smashing walnut vinaigrette. 

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from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

Classic viniagrette 

3 Tbl Red wine or balsamic vinegar

salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil

Dress it:

Dissolve the salt into the vinegar, add pepper. Slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil, whisking with a fork to blend. Et voilà! 
* If you decide to add in other ingredients, add them to the vinegar first. It will be much easier to whisk in the oil. Alternatively, you could put everything into a closed container and shake it all up vigorously! 

Dijon vinaigrette (personal favorite)
3 Tbl red wine or balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tbl dijon mustard
1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil 

variation:

Nut oil vinaigrette

3 tbl sherry vinegar

salt and fresh pepper

1 large shallot chopped

1/2 cup walnut, hazelnut, or other nut oil

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And now I'd like to start a sentence with the word "and", as well as leave you with a terrible joke from an Italian that I know: 

What kind of olives do you use to make virgin olive oil? 

      ...ugly olives. 

What kind of olives do you use to make extra virgin olive oil?
     ... extra ugly olives. 

I'm sorry.