Roasted chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, spicy kale and steamed asparagus with grated parmesan
I am passionate about food and the ways in which we make it delicious. I have been a home cook for 4 years. What began as scrambled eggs and toast has evolved into braised short ribs with a morel crust and creamy polenta. My understanding of food has increased exponentially. Once you can identify a vegetable, it’s only a matter of time before you know how to cook it; how long it takes to steam or broil or soften in hot oil. You learn how much salt to add and how to adjust seasonings. You learn what to drink with your meal (if you want to match dinner with wine or beer.) Food becomes more than just an object at the store. Food becomes full of color, texture and flavor. What begins as a necessity turns into a hobby, then into a passion.
Last night I cooked the meal shown above. While preparing the meal I realized just how far I have grown as a home cook. More than anything, I have a good sense of timing. The more you cook, the more you realize how important time management is to the process. For example, I knew the chicken roasted for about an hour. While the chicken cooks, I can boil potatoes, prep the kale and asparagus. Before the chicken rests I have mashed potatoes complete and warming on the stovetop. While the chicken rests, I have kale sauteing in one pan and asparagus steaming in the other.
The chicken rests but I keep cooking.
Years ago, this meal would have seriously stressed me out. I had no sense of timing in the kitchen. I would make one dish and then another. It did not occur to me that I could do 2 things at once. But as I cooked more and my knife skills improved, I could prep 2 or 3 things at once. I found my rhythm in the kitchen.
Kale sauteed in garlic and red chili pepper flakes.
As skills improved, I found myself drawn to simplicity over complexity. It is easy to submit one’s senses to the brilliance of a professional chef. You go out and taste a rich demi-glace, and start wondering how you can make it at home. All of a sudden, you drop the basic gravy you tried to master and move onto a multi-day reduction process. A simple sauce becomes an expensive and time-consuming venture. You hope all the hard work pays off. Too much expectation steeps in the $15 gravy.
Or. A different direction ensues.
After mastering the basic kitchen skills, you wonder, how can I make this head of lettuce or bunch of chard taste really good. Instead of a fancy sauce you learn how to properly steam or broil it. You learn the powers of olive oil, salt and butter.
I have attempted both of these routes, and I am here to praise the latter. I would rather master simplicity than dabble in complexity. Having chosen the simple path, I must also emphasize the importance of top-notch ingredients. Better to buy pastured chicken and fresh vegetables if you can. The flavor is unbeatable.
The dinner I share with you here included the following ingredients:
Chicken, butter, salt and pepper
Potatoes, butter, milk, salt and pepper
Asparagus, olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper
Kale, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, salt and pepper
In total, dinner took about 75 minutes to make. The benefit to roasting the chicken at home is the opportunity to fill that time with making tasty side dishes. As you might expect, the meal was incredible. Hands-down one of my favorite meals to prepare and share with a loved one.
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