Here’s an easy, bright holiday menu

 

Spatch-cocked chicken

Sometimes as the holidays approach we’re so focused on the “big” meals—Christmas dinner, Christmas Eve for some—that we forget the family has to eat on “ordinary” nights. So here’s my suggestions for combining several dishes I’ve made recently: spatch-cocked herbed chicken, Brussel sprouts and artichoke hearts in a casserole, rice or noodles if you want a carb, and the best cranberry cake you’ve ever eaten for an easy dessert.

Spatch-cocked chicken

For those who don’t know, this is a chicken cut apart along the backbone and spread out—cooks faster, has less tendency to dry out. You can buy a spatch-cocked chicken at the market, or you can do it yourself. Intimidating at first, but fairly easy. Turn the chicken on its breast, use your kitchen shears to cut through the flesh as close to the backbone as possible. Flip the chicken, put both hands on the breastbone, and press hard—you’ll hear it pop. (If you’re strong enough, you can do this with turkey, and it cooks so much faster.)

Please note you should let the seasoned chicken sit in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

½ stick soft butter

3 garlic cloves, minced or use your micro plane

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried basil leaves

1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. herbes de Provence

½ tsp grated lemon jest—use your micro plane

½ tsp. ground pepper

1 5 lb. chicken

           Spread the chicken out in a roasting pan. Mix butter, garlic, parsley, herbs, salt, lemon zest and pepper. Rub ¾ of the mix all over the chicken, sticking some under the skin if you can. Refrigerate four hours or overnight, uncovered.

Roast the chicken at 450^o for about an hour until juices run clear. A thermometer in the thigh should read 165^o. Let sit ten minutes before carving. Serve with reserved butter and pan drippings.

Jordan said this was maybe the best chicken she’d ever had. I adapted it from a NYTimes recipe.

Spatch-cocked chicken
ready for the oven

Brussel sprouts/artichoke hearts casserole

           Thanks to Cathy Lyon of Ottawa, Ontario for this.

1 bunch Brussel sprouts (recipe calls for a 10 oz. box frozen, but I prefer fresh)

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained

½ cup mayonnaise

½ tsp. celery salt

¼ cup Parmesan, fresh grated

¼ cup butter

2 tsp. lemon juice

Cook Brussel sprouts until just tender. Drain and arrange with artichoke hearts in a greased casserole dish. Combine everything else and spoon over vegetables. Mix. Bake uncovered at 425^o for eight to ten minutes. Cook it while the chicken is “collecting itself.”

Cranberry cake

Thanks to neighbor Nina Hyre for this recipe, which was a huge but wonderful surprise to me. No, it’s not at all like fruitcake.

1 cup flour

1 cup white sugar

½ tsp. salt

2 cups cranberries

½ cup chopped walnuts (I call these optional)

½ cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. almond extract

Pre-heat oven to 350^o. Grease a 9-inch pie plate.

Combine sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in cranberries and nuts, if using. Toss to coat. Stir in butter, beaten eggs, and almond extract. Mixture may be thick if you use frozen cranberries—this time of year fresh are so available in the markets. Spread batter in pan.

Bake for 40 minutes. Test with wooden toothpick inserted near center.

I like this plain, but you can serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Happy holiday eating!