Buttering the Bird

Plus: David Lebovitz's Ginger Cake, Andy Baraghani's Fall-Apart Cabbage, and Links.

Hey everyone,

Craig came home last night after a long time away and I offered to make him a roast chicken which is my way of saying, “Welcome home, husband!”

If you’ve been reading me for a long time, you know my roast chicken secrets. If not, here’s a blog post that I once wrote called My Roast Chicken Secrets Revealed. The main one is how much butter I use. It’s a lot!

Frankly, I don’t even measure anymore; however much butter is in my butter dish is what I schmear on top. Why do I use so much butter? Because all of it melts so it gets evenly distributed throughout the chicken and the vegetables (you’re not eating all of that in one bite) and, more importantly, it gets the chicken beautiful and brown and keeps the breast moist.

As I’ve recounted many times in this newsletter, my roast chicken isn’t so much about the chicken as it is the vegetables. They get so caramelized and flavorful, especially if you put them back in the oven after removing the chicken, taking them right to the edge (be sure to stir before you do).

How’s that for a welcome home dinner?

Actually, it gets better…