Fried Chicken, Herbed Mashed Potatoes and Beet Salad with Chimichurri. Dinner for 5.

Do you know how good fresh beets are? They are so great, so pretty, so good for you and so unique tasting. I've been making this beet salad over and over for the last few weeks. I recently had a dinner party for 4 of my favorite people and wanted to share it with them. The rest of the menu, well, it's starch and fried stuff. Just cuz.

It was a Sunday night, a work night for me, so I wanted the menu to be attainable and not crazy - meaning I  wouldn't have to do any work the day before and I could have the whole thing on the table in 2 hours or so.

Ingredients

Fried Chicken
Five legs and five thighs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup salt, divided
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne
1 Tbs baking powder
Corn oil

Herbed Mashed Potatoes
5 large russet potatoes
1 cup loosely packed italian parsley
5 or 6+ sprigs of dill, to taste
1/2 stick butter
Splash of milk
Small handful shredded parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Beet Salad
5 fresh medium beets
1 red bell pepper
1/2+ cup loosely packed cilantro
Lime
Salt, pepper, olive oil to taste

Chimichurri 
1 small shallot
1 Tsp minced parsley
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Implements
Gallon zip lock bag, or other container for marinating the chicken
Large skillet for frying the chicken
Large pot for boiling the beets, and then the potatoes
Colander
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl

Let's do this thing.

Place the chicken in the zip lock bag along with half the salt and the 2 cups of buttermilk. Mix it around and marinate for at least 2 hours, or as much as overnight.

Marinating Chicken

Pile o vegetables, lookin pretty 

Purple mountain majesty beets. MY COUNTRY TIS OF THEE....wait, what were we doing again?

Put on water to boil, enough to cover the beets. Remove the stems, peel and chop them into 1/2 inch slices. Boil for about 40 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a fork, but still offer a bit of resistance.

While the beets boil and the chicken continues to marinate, prepare the potatoes. Peel and slice them into 3 or 4 chunks each, set them aside. Finely mince the parsley and dill, set it aside.

We are both named Herb

Dice the shallot and parsley for the chimichurri and mix in a small bowl. Add a splash of olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Set it aside. Done with chimichurri!

I like NASCAR he's a jerk. Gaffigan? Anyone? Oh, this here is Chimichurri

Oh look, wine, nibbly things and table settings. Oh my? (Yes, Wizard of Oz reference, don't judge me.) I lied before, I did do some things the day before, like shopping and setting up this stuff.

The very nice wine lady was happy to help me pick out this Rose so she could get away from a fawning bag person employee type who smelled a little like farts. Also, nibblies*! Napkin folding! YES. *Side note confession, that nibble meat there is pastrami from Whole Foods and was way way way WAY over seasoned. So I fed it my guests to use it up, HA HA HA I MEAN LOVE YOU GUYS, FOR REAL!!

Prepare the skillet for frying the chicken. Pour enough corn oil to come about a half inch up the sides of the skillet and set to low heat to begin warming. Now prepare the coating for the chicken. In a large doubled paper grocery bag, mix the flour, pepper, cayenne, baking powder and remaining salt. Combine well with your fingers. Drain the marinade from the chicken and throw all the pieces together into the coating bag. Seal it up and shake it around like crazy.

Has it been about 40 minutes? Check the beets, they should be about ready. Drain them. Give that same pot a  rinse, refill with water and set it to boil for the potatoes. Go ahead and add the potatoes to the cold water, they don't mind. Once boiling, it'll take about 15 minutes for them to become tender.

Once the beets are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/2 cubes. Chop the cilantro, dice the red pepper and mix it together with the beets, juice from the lime to taste, olive oil, salt and pepper. Done with salad!

Red and green items, seasoned and about to be mixed

Turn up the heat in the skillet with oil to bring the temperature of the oil to about 375. Or, if you don't have a thermometer, toss in a little cube of bread. If it sizzles and then browns in about 10 seconds, you're good to go.

What about those potatoes? They're probably about done, poke them with a fork to see if they're nice and tender. They shouldn't give much resistance at all. Rise the beet-y colander and drain the potatoes, then add them back to the warm pot back on the stove. Mix in the butter, milk, herbs, parmesan and lots of salt and pepper. They should be soft enough to mix n' mash up with a fork. Done with potatoes!

To fry the chicken, shake off the excess coating as you remove the piece from the coating bag and into the oil. Add all the pieces to the oil in a single layer. Fry without turning for 14 minutes, then flip and fry for an additional 14 minutes. The should read about 170 to 180 degrees when done. Set the pieces on a rack or paper towells to drain.

Hot grease chicken hot tub

Done with chicken! Done with everything!

I like to plate things snug together. Put a mound of potatoes and stack chicen pieces right up close. Add of spoon of beet salad and top it with just a touch of the chimichurri.

Lamb Chops with Pistachio Tapenade and Green Mashed Potatoes for 4

Lamb Chops
8 small lamb chops
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Pistachio Tapenade
Zest of 1 lemon
2+ Tbs chopped parsley
1+ Tbs chopped oregano
1 large garlic clove
2 Tbs capers
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup roasted pistachios
Salt to taste, depending on how salty the pistachios are
Pepper


Green Mashed Potatoes
2 pounds russet potatoes
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk or cream
Dill
Parsley
Salt, pepper

Lamb chops and tapenade adapted from smittenkitchen.com. Potatoes my own.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat a skillet large enough to hold all the chops, or a smaller one that will hold half of them, to medium high. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the oven and stove top heat, toast the nuts in a dry pan until fragrant and blend all the tapenade ingredients in a food processor. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the heating water and boil until tender. 15 or so minutes.  

Season the chops with salt and pepper on both sides and sear in a bit of olive oil, all at once or in batches, about 2 minutes a side. Generously smear all the chops on the top side with the tapenade and roast in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the chops from the oven and rest them for 5 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, put them back in the pot and return them to low heat. Add the butter and milk or cream. Finely dice an entire package of stemmed dill and about 1/2 a bunch of parsley. Add the herbs to the potatoes, stir until mashed and adjust the seasoning.

Coconut Beef Stew with Cilantro and Mint for 4

Coconut Beef Stew with Cilantro and Mint
3 pounds stewing beef pieces
1 onion
Scallions
2 Tbs fresh ginger
1/2 pound criminis or sliced portobellos
3 carrots
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 garlic cloves
2 cups chicken or beef stock
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped mint
Lemon zest
Vegetable oil, salt, pepper

Adapted from Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart.

Brown the beef on all sides in the vegetable oil in a large pot set to medium high. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside, turn down the heat to medium and add the diced onion, half a bunch of chopped scallions, diced ginger, sliced carrot and sliced mushrooms. Scrape up the bits from the beef and cook until the onion turns translucent.

Add the garlic, tomato paste, stock, coconut milk and herbs. Return the meat to the pan and bring to a simmer, cover and keep a low simmer for an hour. Uncover, and simmer another half hour until the liquid reduces by about half. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with potatoes or rice and top with herbs, chopped scallion and lemon zest.

3 Courses of Fennel and 1 of Vanilla for 3

Squash and Fennel Soup with Candied Pumpkin Seeds
1 pound butternut squash
1 bulb fennel
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup onion
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
Scant 1/2 cup sherry
5+ cups chicken stock
Sour cream
Butter, olive oil, salt, pepper

Candied Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp butter
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 Tbs sugar
Pinch each of cinnamon, paprika and cayenne
1 tsp honey
Salt


Pasta and Manilla Clams
3 pounds manilla clams
3/4 pounds spaghetti
1 spring thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup diced fennel
1 cup diced onion
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon
As much garlic as you can stand
Parsley, butter, olive oil, salt, pepper


Braised Pork Shoulder, Root Vegetables and Polenta
1 Tbs cumin seeds
2 Tbs coriander seeds
2 Tbs fennel seeds
1 tsp cayenne
3 pounds pork shoulder
6 garlic cloves
4 sprigs oregano
4 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs cilantro
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced fennel
2 bay leaves
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
2 cups beef stock
2 cups chicken stock
2 lemons

Root Vegetables
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 chopped parsley
3 medium carrots
3 medium parsnips
3 medium turnips
1 Tbs thyme
1 cup diced shallot
Butter, salt, pepper

Polenta
Polenta-y

Vanilla Pot de Cremes 
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 vanilla beans
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar


All recipes adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table.

For the soup, cut the squash and fennel into 1/2 inch wedges, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven until brown around the edges, about 40 minutes. While roasting, toast the fennel seeds in a dry saute pan on the stove top and crush them with a mortar and pestle. Heat some butter in a large soup pan and add the onion, fennel seeds, thyme, pepper flakes, bay leaf, salt and pepper and saute until the onions just start to brown. Add the roast vegetables to the pot, turn up the heat a bit and add the sherry. Reduce for a minute then add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Strain the soup with a colander over a pot to reserve all liquids and solids. Add half the solids to a blender and around a cup of stock and blend in batches, adjusting the liquid to solid ratio until it has the consistency of velvety heavy cream. Pour in to warm bowls and top with sour cream dollops and the candied pumpkin seeds.

To make the pumpkin seeds, toast the cumin seeds in a dry saute pan and crush with a mortar. Add the butter to the pan over medium lowish heat and add the pumpkin seeds and sugar, sprinkle the spices and big pinch of salt and cook for a few minutes to gain color. Remove from the heat and cool slightly, then add the honey. Spread out on a flat surface to cool.

For the pasta, dice all the vegetables and saute all but the garlic over medium heat in olive oil in a pan big enough to hold all the clams. Once the vegetables have softened and begin to brown, add the garlic and herbs and cook until fragrant. Deglaze with the wine and reduce slightly. Add the clams, cover and steam until they open, about 8 ish minutes.

Add slightly undercooked pasta to the clam mixture and stir to coat. Add a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley, stir again and plate with shavings of parmesan.

For the pork shoulder, cut the meat into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces. Toast each type of seed separately in a dry saute pan and crush with a mortar. Add the toasted and crushed seeds to the meat, along with the cayenne, oregano and thyme. Toss together thoroughly and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, bring the meat to room temperature and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Brown the meat in batches in a large braising pot in olive oil until seared on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and add the onion, carrot and fennel and saute, scraping up all the tasty meat bits. Then, add the leftover marinade makins', bay leaf and pepper flakes and cook until everybody starts to caramelize. Add the wine, reduce by half then add the stocks and bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and return the meat to the pan. Use a vegetable peeler to take long strips of lemon zest from the lemon and tuck them all around the meat along with the cilantro and oregano sprigs. Cover with foil and a tight fitting lid and braise for 2 1/2 hours in the oven.

Remove from the oven and turn up the heat to 400 degrees. Transfer the meat from the braising liquid to a sheet pan and strain the liquid into a bowl. Discard the vegetable solids. Once the oven has reached 400 degrees, roast the braised meat for about 15 minutes to deepen the color and add texture. Return the strained liquid to the pan and reduce to thicken for sauce.

Cut the carrots, parsnips and turnips into bite size pieces and pan roast with the shallot and thyme in butter until tender. Remove from the heat and mince the lemon zest, garlic and parsley together and toss with the vegetables along with salt and pepper.

Plate by placing the meat on top of a mound of polenta, spoon around the reduced braising liquid for a sauce, and add the root vegetables on top.

For the pot de cremes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add the cream and milk to a pot along with the vanilla seed scrapings. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes. Using a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow. Heat the milk mixture back to near boiling and add it to the egg mixture at low speed very slowly as to not curdle the egg. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes and then scrape off all traces of foam.

Pour the mixture into ramekins and place them into a roasting pan. Surround the ramekins with hot water half way up their sides and bake for 30+ minutes (depending on the ramekin size.) They are done when the centers just quiver when jostled. Chill them for at least four hours. Serve them with chocolate cookies.

Baby Back Ribs and Potato Salad for 5

Ribs
3 full racks of pork baby back ribs
1 cup dry rub
1 bottle porter

Sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup orange juice
2 rosemary sprigs
2 leeks
Butter
Parsley
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Potato Salad
2+ pounds mixed fingerlings
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 tsp dry mint
3 Tbs fresh mint
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 cup green onion
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Something Green
I parboiled and buttered asparagus

Ribs and sauce adapted from the Joy of Cooking. Potato Salad adapted from Zov: Recipes and Memories from the Heart.

Rub the ribs with a mixture of 1/4 cup each of salt, pepper, ground cumin and brown sugar. Place them in a roasting pan and pour the bottle of porter all around. Marinate up to overnight.

Pour out most of the beer, cover with foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Reduce the heat to 300, pour out the accumulated fat, uncover and cook for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Remove the meat from the pan to rest and pour out all but a couple tablespoons of fat. Place the pan over two burners and saute the leeks until soft. Deglaze with the orange juice and stock, add the rosemary sprigs and reduce by half. Whisk in the butter and parsley and spoon over the chopped ribs.

Cut the potatoes into bite size and boil. Toss all the ingredients together while the potatoes are still warm.