03/18/2024
There is no amount of love for cooking that can carry me through 7 nights a week at our dinner table. The mental energy it takes to plan and grocery shop just for an air fryer meal has me rummaging around the junk drawer for a takeout menu. There is a reason all the pro cooks I know rarely cook for their family. It's relentless - the hunger, the picky eaters, or worse, the apathetic eaters who didn't even stop to note how evenly you got the skin to crackle this time. So the strategies- yes, to to all the 30-minute meals and partially homemade. Yes, to the barely-cooked summer meals of fresh cut veg and melons with a glass of wine. But in the doldrums of winter, getting Monday dinner cooked at home is my big accomplishment. It's our version of "Never Miss A Monday." If I don't get anything else done this week, I can say I roasted a goddamn chicken for my family. If that aint love, I'm all out. Also - Roasting a chicken will never not seem like a huge accomplishment. I always feel like a damn hero when that oven door opens, so I'll take that win and let it carry me as far as I can go . 💪
ZA'ATAR-ROASTED CHICKEN
Brine spatchcocked chicken in kefir, salt and za'atar for 6 to 8 hours .
Wipe off extra brine with dry paper towels. Coat bird in olive oil, salt and zaatar.
Lay citrus and onion wedges, cilantro, carrots and celery in bottom of cast iron pan.
Lay chicken breast up in pan. Cut one stick of butter and push pieces under skin over breast.
Roast at 425° uncovered for 1.5 hours or until internal temp reaches 165°
Let rest under foil and carve that baby up.
