What I did with my chicken...

I had a shockingly good large delivery experience today. How many times can one say that with sincerity and enthusiasm!? Not often! But today, Best Buy delivered. Literally, they brought me a working dryer. They also made good on the customer service promise I'm sure they swear by with less conviction than it might appear. I was told they'd be here between 9 and 11am, and at 9:15 I received a call that the team was on its way. Five minutes later the truck pulled up. Then, as if simply making the window weren't enough, they were in and out in 10 minutes, taking the old dryer with them. When I told T what a good experience it was he initially thought I was joking: "that's not usually what people say about Best Buy." Well, this gal was happy! I later took advantage of the chicken sale at Whole Foods; one for tonight, one for the freezer. I wanted a roast chicken but was unwilling to accept the saggy, baggy skin I usually end up with on an otherwise tasty bird. Research! In her cookbook, the late Judy Rodgers, of Zuni Cafe fame, suggested I wipe dry my chicken, seriously dry!, season it well with salt and pepper, preheat an oven-safe skillet just big enough for it, place the dry and seasoned bird in the dry but hot skillet and wait for the sizzle. It was immediate and a golden skin quickly started to form.

Meanwhile, the oven preheated to 475 convection and once both sides of the chicken had started to adopt a decidedly amber hue, I slid the skillet into the oven and roasted the bird until done. No extra liquid ever. No butter tucked under the skin. No basting. No bells or whistles. Absolutely delicious. Confirmation that I have been doing it all wrong. So glad that I can now rely on this very simple method. Plenty of drippings by the way. I added stock and some powdered roux to them and made a divine gravy. If ever you go to Louisiana, pick up a jar of powdered roux; the secret-ingredient, pièce de résistance for gravy!

For our sides I made some tamarind-scented brown rice, a kale salad and some fennel roasted with dried figs, garlic, honey, lemon and fennel fronds. Lovely, lovely! Dried figs rock, and boy do I love me some fennel.

Today's One Day Deal at Whole Foods

Today only, at participating Whole Foods Markets...well, see for yourself:

I saw the sun, Hellfire Breath pasta

People, I saw the sun for a couple hours today, wore flats without socks and felt the vaguest warmth upon my cheek. Then it started raining and became very overcast, but I sucked every ounce of Vitamin D and zen from those few bright hours. Also, I had a babysitter for the first time in a while and got a much-needed pedicure which is always an outstanding way to spend an hour.

While there, a faux red-head swooped in, 65+, very dramatic. She was wearing the most gargantuan expanse of blue fur I've ever seen purport to be a coat, a scarf with brown fox tail-looking tassels and fur and sherpa boots to her knees. It was positively overwrought, not least because it was, at coldest, no less than 50 degrees out. And who believes blue fur?! It's like blue carnations- everyone knows that's just food coloring! She proceeded to launch herself backwards, via awkward jump, into a manicure chair. Did she know it was on wheels? I suspect not because she promptly rolled into a pedicurist. Red wore this animalistic get-up the entire time.

So, dinner.

Yum.

Tonight was Pantry Challenge Meal night. I give myself an A+. An unholy amount of both garlic and anchovies -hence Hellfire Breath moniker- dissolved in a hot pool of olive oil and butter. Then red chile flakes, Meyer lemon zest, mint and capers stewed down to an unctuous, savory sauce. Meanwhile, I cooked whole wheat spaghetti until it reached the precipice of done, stirred it + a bit of cooking water + some grated Parm into the skillet o' sauce, et voila. Perfetto!