Recipe for Melissa Clark’s Mother’s Thyme Roasted Chicken with Mustard Croutons
Country bread, ciabatta or other sturdy bread, preferably stale and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Dijon mustard, as needed
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
1 (4 -5 lb) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces, rinsed and patted dry
Or two skin-on chicken thighs per person
1 head garlic, separated into cloves (but not peeled)
1 bay leaf, torn into pieces
1/2 bunch thyme, sprigs
- Preheat oven to 425°F Lay the bread slices in the bottom of a heavy-duty roasting pan in one layer. Brush with mustard, drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and place the pieces on the bread, arranging the white meat in the center and the dark meat and wings around the sides. Scatter the garlic cloves, bay leaf, and thyme over the chicken and drizzle everything with more oil (take care to drizzle the garlic cloves).
- Roast the chicken until it’s lightly browned and the thigh juices run clear when pricked with a knife, about 50 minutes. If you like, you can crisp the skin by running the pan under the broiler for a minute, though you might want to rescue the garlic cloves before you do so they don’t burn (if you don’t plan to eat them, it doesn’t matter so much). Serve the chicken with pieces of bread from the pan.
Recipe for Brussels Sprouts Salad
I can’t say that Andrew and I are huge fans of Brussels Sprouts. As a child, they were often pushed around my plate and left uneaten. Since then, we’ve enjoyed some really nice recipes using them. So when I saw this take on them, I wanted to try it. I enjoyed the crunch of the sprouts and the toasted walnuts, the tang of the cheese and the lemon juice. Andrew, however, did not. This recipe makes a lot of Salad so I had plenty left over. Remembering a Thanksgiving recipe of Brussels Sprouts and bacon, I revisited the salad, folding in some crispy bacon and then putting the whole thing on the stove and stir-frying the sprouts. The results were much more appealing to Andrew. And it sounded like something Melissa wouldn’t mind. After all, her mother changes Melissa’s recipes all the time.
10 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed
Juice of 1/2 lemon Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 c toasted walnuts, chopped
3/4 c Manchego cheese, grated
6 slices of Smoked Bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
Put the Brussels sprouts into a food processor fitted with the slicing disc. Put the sprouts in a bowl and toss with lemon juice and a little salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and toss well. Gently stir in the walnuts and cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately or let stand for one hour before serving. Alternatively, add the cooked bacon, put the ‘salad’ in a large skillet and cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Serve.