Feta Brined Roast Chicken with Potatoes

I love Feta Cheese, and when we saw this recipe for Chicken Brined in Feta in The New York Times, we had to try it. We will definitely make it again. The Feta gives an added tanginess to the chicken. Cathy figured she could place Sliced Potatoes under the chicken while it bakes. They were extremely crispy from the high heat and extra flavorful from the drippings. In addition, we sprinkled Feta on the Potatoes when we served the dish. Try this dish, it is excellent.

Feta-Brined Roast Chicken

New York Times

Brining a chicken before roasting can make for a particularly juicy, tender bird. Using feta in the brine adds a complex and earthy flavor to the mix. Don’t skip the step of taking the chicken out of the brine an hour before cooking. This allows the bird to come to room temperature and dries it out a bit, which helps crisp the skin. This recipe calls for a lot of black pepper, and if you like a spicy bite, don’t afraid to go for the full 2 tablespoons. Or bring the amount down for something milder. In either case, do grind it yourself; the pre-ground stuff is missing all the essential oils that give freshly ground black pepper its woodsy, floral notes. Roasted potatoes make an excellent side dish.

Ingredients

4       ounces feta cheese, crumbled

3-½   teaspoons kosher salt

1       3-½ to 4-pound whole chicken

1 to 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper, to taste

2       tablespoons dried Greek oregano

2       large lemons

¼      cup olive oil, more as needed

1       large bunch arugula or other sturdy salad greens, for serving

Preparation

1.   The day before serving, combine 2 ounces feta, 2 teaspoons salt and 4 cups water in a blender and blend until smooth. Put chicken in an extra-large resealable plastic bag or a container large enough to submerge chicken, and cover with the feta brine. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

2.   Before cooking, remove chicken from brine and transfer to a towel-lined tray. (Discard brine.) Pat chicken dry with paper towels and allow to come to room temperature for 1 hour.

3.   In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, the oregano and the zest of the lemons (about 1 tablespoon). Liberally cover chicken in herb mix and gently massage entire bird. Halve lemons and place 3 halves in cavity (save remaining half for serving). Using kitchen twine, tie legs together.

4.   Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat until it just smokes. Place chicken, breast-side up, in pan. Transfer entire pan to oven. Cook, basting once or twice, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.

5.   Remove pan from oven, then stir remaining crumbled feta into juices in pan and stir well. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes in the pan before slicing and serving on a bed of greens, with feta-laced pan juices on top, drizzled with a little lemon juice from the reserved lemon half.

Orecchiette Carbonara with English Peas and Pea Shoots

Orecchiette Carbonara with English Peas and Pea Shoots is another of those spring dishes we make every year when peas come into season. It is easy and delicious. You can get the recipe on our blog of: April 28, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Surf and Turf

What is better to grill then Porterhouse Steak from McCall's Meat and Fish? Tom gave us some Fava Beans from his garden and some Mustard Greens. We threw them on the fire to char them. We also had left over Lobster / Risotto Cakes. This was a great dinner! Chappies (Tom's dog) got the bone.

Scarpata with no fresh Tomatoes

We like the recipe for Scarpata Pasta. By finishing the cooking of the pasta in the pasta sauce the sauce gets directly infused into the pasta. We decided to try the recipe using bottled pasta sauce and not directly from Fresh Tomatoes. It was a mistake. It wasn't as good. We tried. You can get the recipe from our blog of: August 6, 2015. Click the date to get the recipe.

Lobster Risotto

This is about as good as it gets. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do it justice. We purchased lobster tails and poached them in butter. We removed the meat and used the shells to make Lobster Stock, which we used for the Risotto. At the last minute when the rice was almost done we stirred in the chunks of Lobster Meat. It was fabulous!

Buttermilk Chicken with Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

This is a great Chicken recipe. I love the crispy skin, and the Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes are extra tasty with the Chicken Drippings. You can get this great recipe from our blog of: June 24, 2016. Click the date to get the recipe.

Fava Bean Pasta

Tom brought us Fava Beans from his garden. This meant, of course, that we would be making Fava Bean Pasta. It is a favorite of ours. They are kind of mind numbing to peel, then boil then peel again, but the results are worth it. The dish is highly flavored with my favorite seasoning: Bacon. You can find the recipe on our blog of: April 30, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe. Thank you Tom!

Salmon Patties

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We had left over Smoked Salmon and decided to make Salmon Patties. I know fried food is supposedly bad for you, but we couldn't resist. We had lots of left over salmon. We made Salmon Patties using a recipe for Salmon and Dill Fish Cakes from The Kitchen Diariesby Nigel Slater. They were crispy and very tasty. You can find the recipe on our blog of: June 4, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe. This was a huge chunk of salmon and it definitely provided a bunch of dinners. 

Smoked Salmon

Tom brought over Artichokes from his yard. We roasted them and served them with Salmon that I purchased from McCall's Meat and Fish. I smoked the salmon in the Egg. You can get the recipe for the Smoked Salmon from our blog of April 19, 2015. Click the date to get the recipe.

Artichokes Roasted

Ingredients

      

1 
artichoke, choose ones that are 3 to 4 1/2 inches wide (1 artichoke makes 1 to 2 servings)

       1 -2 
tablespoon olive oil (for each artichoke)

            1⁄4
teaspoon dried thyme (for each artichoke)

       2 
slices thin lemons

       2 
garlic cloves, peeled

       
salt

Directions

       Choose artichokes that are 3 to 4 1/2 inches wide (I like the 3 inch better not-tough); break off and discard outer leaves, with a knife, slice off artichoke tips, with scissors, snip thorn tips from remaining leaves.

       Trim dark base from stem ends and, with a knife, peel coarse fibers from stems and artichoke bottoms; Cut artichokes in HALF lengthwise, rinse well, and drain briefly.

       Choose a pan in which the artichokes fit close together in a single layer (6 halves fit in a 9-by 13-inch pan); if there are large spaces, the juices will scorch.

       (I used a metal pan lined with release foil) For each artichoke, pour 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil into pan and add 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme; Roll artichoke in oil and thyme to coat; cut side down.

       Slide 1 thin lemon slice and 1 peeled garlic clove under each artichoke half: The next time I make these I am adding 1/4 cup more water for more moisture. Steam: Seal pan well with foil.

       Bake in a 375°F oven until artichoke bottoms are tender when pierced, 40 to 50 minutes.

       Transfer artichokes, cut side up, to a platter; top with lemon slice& garlic and sprinkle with salt to taste. Drizzle artichokes with pan drippings; or add butter and lemon juice. Serve hot or at room temperature.