I sometimes call myself The Head Hen. Why? Well, it’s nicer than calling myself The Granny (I’m only in my early 30s!), or The Chicken In The Cart (though that is my gmail alias). And why not just call myself Ann? Eh, who knows… Sometimes I call myself Simone too, like at places where I have to call a large coffee a venti, ya know? It all just seems so pretentious, why not play along with their game? (Some people do it for other reasons).
Everyone needs an alter-ego. I can picture my hen-ness as being all chic (kinda like this beauty from Ct) and urban, not at all Chicken Run biddy-like. Either way, if I’m The Head Hen, then I guess that makes the boy The Rooster.
This past Sunday we went out to Ikea. Here in NYC there’s no close one. The nearest one is out in New Jersey across the Turnpike from Newark Airport. Since most New Yorkers don’t own cars, or even have access to them, those crafty Swedes run a free bus to and from their emporium of all things cheap and Scandinavian.
I just love Ikea, especially that particular one. I love to cruise through the furniture, work up an appetite, pop into the cafe to get some Swedish meatballs and their delicious lingonberry sauce, sit at one of the window tables and watch the planes take off and land at Newark. I let my mind wander… I wonder where that plane’s going? Where did those lucky people just get back from… I hate flying, but I love planes. Go figure.
We picked up some new storage vessels, rugs and other fun stuff and then hopped back on the bus.
Of course it was time to talk about dinner. I had bought some la ratte potatoes earlier in the week,intending them for salt potatoes, and there were some Brussels sprouts leftover from the velouté. We decided that it would be fun to roast them with some of Dines Farms astoundingly good boneless chicken thighs.
It took a little longer than I thought it would, but OH! was it worth it! This dish entirely embodies the idea of a Q·E·2: Quick. Easy. For 2. dinner. Couldn’t be easier, was concocted entirely out of what was at hand and required almost no effort.
The Rooster has declared this “The Best Thing I’ve Ever Cooked” (I wonder if he’s already forgotten about the harissa glazed lamb).
The Brussels sprouts went all gooey and caramely. The la ratte potatoes are silky, waxy and buttery, and the chicken? Well, when it’s Dines’ its always perfect.
So, even though it sounds a little weird, I hereby dub this dish The Rooster’s Chicken. Can’t wait to chow down on the leftovers tonight!
Head below the break for The Rooster’s Chicken.
The Rooster’s Chicken
You’ll need: Brussels sprouts, la ratte potatoes and chicken for two. Also, a few cloves of garlic, sliced, a huge bunch of thyme, washed, salt, olive oil, dry vermouth and lemon juice.
In an ovenproof dish, toss the halved Brussels sprouts, potatoes, olive oil, salt and thyme together (don’t bother pulling the thyme off their stems) and place the whole lot in a hot oven (say 350-400&#deg;)
Meanwhile, heavily season the chicken with salt & pepper and lightly brown in a skillet. Set aside.
After about 30 minutes pull the dish out of the oven and check the potatoes for doneness. They should slightly cooked through. Pour about 1/2 vermouth and a healthy glug of lemon juice (maybe 1/4-1/2 cup) into the pan, place the chicken on top and wrap the dish well in aluminum foil. Return to the over and allow to cook another 30 minutes.
Pull the dish out of the oven, carefully remove the foil and return to the oven to cook another 10 or so minutes, or until the chicken just begins to turn a light shade of mahogany.
Remove from the oven. Serve in individual bowls; vege on the bottom, chicken on the top, with lots of the pan liqueur poured over. Be sure to have a large loaf of crusty bread on hand to sop up all the deliciousness.
Prepare to be adored.
Enjoy!
A Chicken In Every Granny Cart 
An Ikea bus sounds pretty cool, in fact, your whole Ikea field trip sounds pretty cool. Here you have to drive your car to some big box store area and then park in Ikea’s vast enormous parking lot and the walk from your car can easily be equal to a couple of city blocks.
Oh, and your dinner looks great. The boy/rooster sounds like a very appreciative audience for your cooking.
What a wonderful way to cook Brussels sprouts, something my husband and I love, my boys not so much. But mixed up with jus, potatoes and the best chicken ever, this might just do it.
As for IKEA, the one we go to in Emeryville, California is my husband’s favorite place. He’s Swedish-American, and something about the sight of people of every nationality and language eating swedish meatballs & lingonberry sauce makes him VERY happy.
Julie — yeah, the Ikea bus is really cool! the only problem is, you have to limit your purchases to what can be carried on your lap/in the cargo hold, or you have to pay a man with a van to drive out to NJ to haul your stuff home for you. Other than that, it’s awesome
BlogLily — I love the mental image of your husband standing in the Ikea cafeteria smiling broadly at all the happy swedish meatball eating folkies! I bet the boys would like roasted Brussels sprouts, they have none of the sulfury ickiness I found so offensive as a child, and all the wonderful sweetness that can be inherent in cabbages.
That dinner looks great, and perfect for this time of year –
Speaking of hens, Ann, I have been meaning to send you this photo I stumbled across on Flickr! – http://flickr.com/photos/inkvision/167520073/in/pool-vintagecookbooks/
Hi Simone
I love Ikea too, despite having to go so far away, and getting lost in the corridors, and not remembering the particular names of chairs. It´s not too high a price to pay for the white bowls, and the black dry bread. I really love that.
Love, Maria Luisa
Ikea is a great place, you can stay there forever. I love your dish! Chicken thighs are one of my favorites, so the pictures gave a tingle to my taste buds!
TBC — That’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen! Thank you SO much!
Maria Luisa — Thanks for stopping by ;-)
Sher — Thank god chicken thighs are underrated, more for you and me!