Maggie’s Musings

Cooking is a leisure activity for me, and I seem to attract others who feel the same way. Alice DesChamps and I originally bonded over food and, in a funny way, so did Della and I. She loves junk food and wouldn’t be caught dead with a carrot in her hand. That signaled a need to me, though. Food is nurture and comfort. It’s a warm kitchen holding off the cold of dead-winter. It’s companionship and fulfillment in an emotional as well as a physical way. Sit down with a woman friend and gossip the hours away over a pot of tea. Get together over a cooking project. You can’t do that with a frozen TV dinner. It’s a solitary experience. Of course, so is making dinner by yourself, but at least the act brings back memories of company and comforting ritual.

One of my favorite comfort foods is roast chicken. Alex and I are busy people and we’ll often settle for a store-prepared bird, one that’s already roasted and ready to eat. That’s okay, I suppose, but there’s nothing like doing the same yourself. Maybe it’s a control thing, too. This is my way, this is how I want to do it.

So, here’s how I do a roast. The method changes somewhat, depending on the time of year. Oh yes, I have an herb garden too:

1 5 - 6 pound roasting chicken. Splurge and get a good quality one. The raw materials do matter, here.
Olive oil (not extra-virgin)
Dried herbs in winter: oregano, thyme and rosemary (optional)
Fresh herbs in summer: oregano, thyme, rosemary (optional) and sage
Powdered garlic
One medium onion, quartered
1 clove garlic, pricked or slit with a knife but kept intact
1 small lemon, pricked or slit
Kitchen twine
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Clean chicken. Remove fat and giblets. Loosen skin over breast and gently push individual layers of onion as far forward as possible towards chicken, taking care not to rip skin. Tuck onion around legs as well.

Take remaining onion, garlic and lemon and stuff cavity. If it’s summer, then take some springs of fresh herb and tuck them under the skin and into the cavity as well.

Combine equal parts of dried oregano, thyme and garlic powder. Use about half as much salt, pepper and dried rosemary (if using). Pour enough olive oil over mixture to make a loose paste. With fingers, rub mixture over outside of chicken.

Tie legs together using kitchen twine and place in roaster. Some people like to tie the wings together, but i usually don’t bother. If you’re using a meat thermometer, push into thigh (dark meat), making sure not to touch the bone.

Bake the chicken approximately 20 minutes per pound. For most birds you’ll get in a supermarket that’s usually anywhere between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.

After chicken is cooked, remove from roaster and let it sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, remove the lemon, garlic and onion from the chicken cavity. Squeeze the lemon into the pan juices and then scrape everything into a fat-skimming measuring cup. If you don’t have one, pour it into a heat-proof measuring cup or other vessel and wait for the fat to rise to the top. The point is to skim the juices and leave the fat behind.

At this point I have Alex do the carving. It’s kind of a guy thing, for some reason. Here, dear, I’ve done everything else: you carve.

Then, enjoy! Have a quiet dinner with your family, or invite a few friends over for a dinner party. Alice is very good with wine and almost always brings an appetizer and/or side dishes. Della brings herself, her appetite and her sense of humor.

That’s good enough for a cold night. Just make sure someone else does the dishes. Enjoy!