Tag Archives: One-pot wonders

Casseroles, One-pot wonders, Poultry

Catalina Chicken

I’d never heard of Catalina chicken before coming across this recipe for it a few years ago in the Cooks Academy Cookbook. This recipe is from the author’s grandmother, but after doing a quick online search to see if I could find out more about it, I found recipes with nothing but chicken, dried onion soup mix and a bottle of Catalina salad dressing as ingredients — the kind of “recipe” you often see on the back of food packaging or in a full-page ad for said soup mix or dressing in American women’s magazines. Given that this recipe comes from a Dublin cooking school and a country where Catalina dressing isn’t even sold, this version doesn’t take any prepackaged shortcuts — and is all the better for it. Besides, anything with hard cider in it is bound to be better than something that comes from a jar. The author says her grandmother always served this with homemade chips that she cut by hand with a crinkle cutter, but I like it with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

Catalina Chicken
adapted from Cooks Academy Cookbook by Vanessa Greenwood

Serves 4

If you don’t have a casserole pot (a.k.a. Dutch oven), then start off by cooking the food in a heavy-based frying pan instead, then transferring to an ovenproof dish with a lid or an ovenproof dish that you can cover tightly with foil. I’ve modified the original recipe to start off by browning the chicken to improve its flavor and appearance, but if you’re in a bit of a rush, you can skip this step and just add the chicken to the sauce along with the mushrooms and peppers.

olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
7 oz (200 g) mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon plain flour
2 cups (500 ml) dry cider (hard cider)
3/4 cup (200 ml) chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
crusty bread, home fries, baked potatoes or mashed potatoes, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a heavy-based casserole pot, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts and brown in the oil, then set aside.

Add the butter to the pot, then saute the mushrooms over a high heat until they turn golden on the outside. Set aside.

Lower the heat, add a little more olive oil and sweat the onions for 10 minutes with a pinch of salt (to help prevent them from browning too much) before stirring in the flour and cooking for 2 minutes more. Increase the heat, add the cider and stock and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly.

Meanwhile, mix together the tomato puree, vinegar, sugar, paprika and chili powder and stir through the cider sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken back to the pot in a single layer. Scatter over the peppers and mushrooms. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour, stirring halfway through. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

Beef, One-pot wonders, Pork, Slow cooker, Soups and stews

Beef, Chorizo and Ale Stew

The Irish Independent recently ran an article about cheap casseroles coming back into fashion in these penny-pinching times. Cuts of meat that people turned their backs on during the Celtic Tiger boom are now reappearing on shopping lists and in casserole pots — cuts like lamb shanks, oxtails and beef shins. I discovered this recipe while watching Channel 4’s show Food: What Goes in Your Basket, where UK food critic Jay Rayner made it with shin of beef. I’ve modified it to use regular stewing beef, which is also much less expensive than prime cuts.

But just because a dish is economical doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious too, like this stew. In fact, I liked it so much that I made it twice in two weeks — once after watching the Food program and again because it was too perfect to pass up as an entry to November’s Irish foodies cookalong, which had a winter warmers theme. It might also have something to do with the fact that after coveting one for ages, I bought a Le Creuset casserole pot as a birthday present for myself back in September and loved the fact that I could actually cook it in the oven. But no matter which way you cook this — in the oven, on the stovetop or in a slow cooker — you’ll love it.

Beef, Chorizo and Ale Stew
adapted from Jay Rayner’s shin of beef recipe from Food: What Goes in Your Basket

Serves 8

If you don’t have a casserole pot (a.k.a. Dutch oven), you can simmer the stew on the stovetop instead. Alternatively, you could make this in a slow cooker (see below). I used O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale for this stew.

2 lb (1 kg) stewing beef, cut into cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
olive oil
1 x 7 oz to 11 oz (200 g to 300 g) chorizo ring, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 red onions, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bottle of ale
2 cups (1 pint) beef or chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (bay leaves, thyme sprigs and parsley, tied with kitchen string), or 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish (optional)
mashed potatoes or crusty bread, to serve

Preheat the oven to 270°F (130°C).

Season the beef with salt and pepper and toss in the flour until the beef pieces are evenly coated. Heat some olive oil in a casserole pot (Dutch oven) and brown the beef in batches, making sure not to crowd the pot, or the meat won’t brown properly. Remove from the pot and set aside. Add in the chorizo and cook for a few minutes, until it has started to release its oils. Add in the onions, carrots and celery and cook for 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Deglaze the pot with a small glass of the ale and simmer until it has reduced and thickened. Add the rest of the bottle and bring back to a simmer. Return the beef to the pot, and if it’s not fully covered, top up with the stock. (Add the whole pint of stock if you like a thinner stew, add less if you like a more concentrated broth.) Add the bouquet garni or dried herbs and stir in the sugar.

Cover and put in the oven for 3 to 4 hours (or simmer on the stovetop on a low heat), stirring a few times. The meat is ready when it shreds apart. As an optional extra if you want to intensify the flavor, you can strain off all the liquid into another pot and reduce the liquor by half, then return the liquid to the casserole pot. Serve with lots of chopped fresh parsley and mashed potatoes or crusty bread.

Slow cooker variation: Follow the recipe above until you’ve deglazed the pot, then transfer the stew to your slow cooker. Add the beef, stock, herbs and sugar to the slow cooker — though you should use less liquid because it won’t reduce as much as it does on the stovetop or in the oven. Cover and cook on a low heat for 8 hours, or until the meat shreds apart with a fork.

One-pot wonders, Potatoes, Poultry

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes and Braised Kale

Now that the two big projects that kept me chained to my desk these past few weeks have finally gone off to the printer, I’d love nothing more than to light the turf fire (now that it’s cold enough for one) after the kids go to bed and catch up on all the cooking shows I’ve recorded. But there’s no rest for the weary, and I’m just as busy this week as Caroline from Bibliocook and I put the finishing touches to a new foodie project, to be launched at the Savour Kilkenny Food Camp on Friday. The focus is still on fast, fuss-free meals and I’m still leaning heavily on Nigella Lawson’s new book despite having acquired five other ones in the past six weeks, mainly because it never seems to leave my kitchen counter and make it back to the bookshelf. This tray bake was just what I needed for an easy midweek dinner, but once Friday’s launch is done and dusted and our mystery project goes live, I’m looking forward to some downtime and leisurely baking in the kitchen this weekend after Nigella’s book just so happened to fall open to the maple pecan bundt cake recipe…

If you like this chicken and chorizo hash, you’ll love this. Likewise, if you’re a fan of one-tray dinners that you can assemble in five minutes then pop in the oven and forget about, like oven-roasted sausage and sweet potato, cherry tomato and sausage bake, or balsamic roast chicken with roast tomatoes, then this is another recipe to add to that list.

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes
adapted from Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

Serves 6

Nigella’s original recipe calls for 12 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on) to be cooked at 425°F (220°C) for 1 hour. She also calls for 2 teaspoons of dried oregano and the zest of 1 orange, both of which I left out. And while her original recipe calls for about 1 3/4 lb (750 g) of chorizo, I easily got away with using only 11 oz (300 g). She suggests dicing up any leftovers to make quesadillas.

6 chicken breasts
2 lb (1 kg) baby potatoes, halved
1 1/2 lb (680 g) chorizo, cut into 1 1/2‑inch pieces
2 or 3 red onions, roughly chopped
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the chicken, baby potatoes, chorizo and onions in a roasting tin (or divide between 2 baking trays). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Baste the contents with the oil released by the chorizo and serve.

***

Braised Kale

Serves 4

1 lb (450 g) kale (about 2 bunches), large center ribs and stems removed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red chili, finely chopped, or a pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup (80 ml) dry white wine
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the kale well, then cut crosswise into 1/2‑inch slices. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Saute the garlic the chili or red pepper flakes for 5 minutes, taking care not to let the garlic color. When the garlic has softened, raise the heat and add the kale. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the kale starts to wilt and turn a vibrant green. Add in the wine, lemon zest and juice and salt and pepper to taste. (Try not to cook the kale too long so that it keeps its bright green color.) Serve immediately.

Cookbook reviews, Entertaining, One-pot wonders, Poultry

Balsamic Roast Chicken with Rocket, Roast Tomatoes and Parmesan

As a bit of a self-confessed cookbook addict (six new cookbooks in the last six weeks, ahem!), I know what Domini Kemp is talking about when she said in her column last Saturday, “Who needs another cookbook? I know if the amount I have on my shelves is anything to go by, then I certainly don’t. But yet, I love flicking through cookbooks any chance I get.” Her own beautifully styled new book, Itsa Cookbook, is a compilation of over 100 of the best-loved, most-cooked recipes from her weekly Irish Times column, with photographs that make you wish you could pull up a chair and tuck in. Recipes I’ve already made from Domini’s column over the years that are now included in her book are chickpea, sweet potato and chorizo stew; beans and bacon; coriander chicken with chickpea, feta and coriander salad; and salmon en croute with dill and pistachio pesto. A short list of recipes from the book I’m looking forward to trying include sweet corn fritters with tomato salsa, lemon and garlic poached chicken, baked sweet potatoes with lemon and chilli, and chocolate sorbet.

Domini is not only a food writer with a weekly column in the Saturday Irish Times Magazine, but is also a professionally trained chef and restaurateur (she and her sister, Peaches, own and run the Itsa Food Company). Yet for all that, Domini says in her introduction, “But every day I cook at home, where time, nutrition, satisfaction and taste are all key factors. I love to take a recipe, tear it apart, try to make it simpler and tastier and eliminate anything that isn’t utterly critical.” What this has resulted in is a book filled with foolproof recipes aimed at the everyday cook who still wants to eat well — and which one of us doesn’t fit that description?

You can’t get more foolproof than this recipe for balsamic roast chicken with rocket (that’s arugula to those of you in the States), cherry tomatoes and Parmesan. It literally takes 5 minutes to put together and cooks for 30 minutes in the oven — how’s that for an effortless midweek meal? It’s a fantastic recipe to have up your sleeve.

Balsamic Roast Chicken with Rocket, Roast Tomatoes and Parmesan
adapted from Itsa Cookbook by Domini Kemp

Serves 4

This takes only minutes to pull together, but is tasty and sophisticated enough to serve for guests. The flavors are very similar to Jamie Oliver’s cherry tomato and sausage bake, not to mention the same effortless cooking method, so if you like that, you’ll love this too.

4 chicken breasts or supremes, skin on or off
a few tablespoons olive oil
a few tablespoons balsamic vinegar
a few cloves garlic, peeled
fresh thyme or rosemary if you have it
salt and freshly ground black pepper
9 oz (250 g) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
4 handfuls rocket (arugula)
a few chunky shavings of Parmesan or Pecorino
crusty  bread, to serve

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Place the chicken in a roasting tray or baking sheet and pour over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add in some garlic, herbs and season well, then add in the cherry tomatoes. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through, basting the chicken with the cooking juices once or twice.

Arrange the arugula (rocket) on 4 plates. Top with the chicken and some tomatoes and loads of cooking juices (which is like a warm and simple vinaigrette). Top with some Parmesan shavings and serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Casseroles, One-pot wonders, Pork

Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

Today marks our one-year blogging anniversary and our 200th post! To celebrate the occasion, we’re doing a little giveaway. To be in with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate, just leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite recipe from our site. The giveaway will close at midnight (US Central time) on Sunday, August 8 and the randomly selected winner will be notified by e‑mail.*

I just got back from my 10-day solo trip to the States, so I know it’s hot back home (sadly, the same can’t be said of Ireland). If you can bear to turn on your oven for 45 minutes, then this is an easy way to use up an abundance of tomatoes now that they’re coming into season. It’s like a summertime version of Donal Skehan’s oven-roasted sausage and sweet potato recipe. It’s also incredibly easy to pull together and doesn’t take much prep work or thinking about — just right for when your head is still spinning from jet lag, a hard day at work or a long day taking care of the kids. I like to serve this with a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and plenty of crusty bread to mop up all the juices.

*The competition has now closed. Congrats to Kathy, who likes the warm tofu with spicy garlic sauce!

Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake
adapted from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

Jamie suggests chopping up any leftovers to make into a chunky pasta sauce for penne or rigatoni, and I can vouch that it’s good. If you like this dish, you’ll also like balsamic roast chicken with rocket, roast tomatoes and Parmesan.

3 to 4 1/2 lb (1.4 to 2 kg) ripe cherry tomatoes (mixed colors if you can find them)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 red onions, quartered (leave the root end intact so the quartered segments stay together)
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (not too small or they’ll burn)
10 to 12 good-quality butcher sausages or Italian sausages
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crusty bread, mashed potatoes, rice or polenta, to serve
green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the tomatoes, herbs, onions, garlic and sausages in a large roasting tray or casserole dish, one that can more or less fit all the tomatoes in one layer (or you could do individual casserole dishes, like I did in the photo, or divide everything between 2 trays/dishes if you don’t have one that’s big enough). Drizzle well with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper, then make sure the sausages are on top. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then give the tray a shake and turn the sausages over. Continue cooking for 15 to 30 minutes more, depending on how golden and sticky you like your sausages.

If you think the sauce is a little too thin once the sausages are done, lift them out and place the tray on the stovetop to cook it down to the consistency you like, then put the sausages back in. Check the seasoning and serve either with a good crusty bread (great for mopping up the sauce!), mashed potatoes, rice or polenta, a green salad and a nice glass of wine.

One-pot wonders, Pork, Potatoes

Oven-roasted Sausage and Sweet Potato

If you live in Ireland and are at all interested in food, chances are you’ve heard of Donal Skehan, a rising star on the food scene. At only 23 years old, he’s already been blogging for three years at The Good Mood Food Blog and has published a cookbook. Television appearances include Ireland AM, the RTÉ Afternoon Show and Nationwide in Ireland and Market Kitchen in the UK, where he cooked his mojito chicken. In addition to his blog, he’s also a talented food photographer (he took many of the photos for his book) and writes for Irish Tatler magazine and The Cork News newspaper. Last month, he was in Paris cooking for 700 people at Veilleé Foodstock and returned to Ireland in time to scoop the Best Food/Drink Blog award at the Irish Blog Awards. But there’s more! Donal also sings in the pop band Industry, which has had two number-one singles since their debut in 2009, and was a finalist in the Eurovision song contest in 2008. The quote on the cover of Donal’s book from RTÉ says he’s Ireland’s answer to Jamie Oliver, but at the rate Donal’s going, Jamie Oliver should watch out — there’s some stiff competition snapping at his heels across the Irish Sea.

Photo credit: Jocasta Clarke, courtesy of Donal Skehan

Oven-roasted Sausage and Sweet Potato
adapted from Good Mood Food by Donal Skehan*

Serves 4

Donal says this is a quick all-in-one dinner that can even be prepared ahead of time and then just banged into the oven, making it a perfect midweek supper. Donal’s original recipe calls for 3 fl oz (90 ml) red wine, but I used chicken stock simply because I tend not to have red wine in the house.

8 large, good-quality butcher sausages
4 sweet potatoes, chopped into chunks
2 large carrots, chopped into chunks
3 red onions, quartered
1 garlic bulb, top sliced off
1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken stock
1 tablespoon English mustard powder
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a small handful of fresh sage leaves

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange the sausages in a roasting tin or casserole dish with the sweet potatoes, carrots, red onions and garlic, making sure not to overload the tin. In a measuring jug or bowl, mix together the chicken stock, mustard powder, honey and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the sausages and vegetables, tossing to make sure everything is coated with the stock. Season with salt (adjust according to how salty your stock is) and pepper and toss again. Scatter over the sage leaves. Roast in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes. Serve straight from the roasting tin, making sure to spoon over any remaining juices.

*Our thanks to Donal for permission to use his recipe and for his generous use of the photo from his cookbook.

French food, One-pot wonders, Poultry, Soups and stews

Chicken Bouillabaisse

One-pot dinners are so popular that entire cookbooks are dedicated to them. The renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland even offers a one-day course on them. Their appeal is obvious — they tend to be easy to cook, only using one pot means there’s less washing up to do, you can let them simmer away while you get on with other things, and they’re ideal for cooking for a crowd. This chicken bouillabaisse is straightforward enough to make as a weeknight meal, yet impressive enough to serve for company. The bright fennel flavors in this stew make for a nice change, especially as we’re coming into spring and cravings for heavy foods are waning. I also love the lurid red sauce, which you’ll want to mop up with plenty of crusty bread. As one-pot wonders go, this is one of my favorites (plus it’s always more fun to cook something with a French name).

Chicken Bouillabaisse
adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Serves 4 to 6

I’ve adapted this quite a bit from the original, most notably by adding in onions, fennel and carrots and cooking it on the stovetop instead of in the oven. It’s traditional to serve bouillabaisse with a dollop of rouille and Ina Garten has a recipe for one here, though truth be told I usually skip it. You could make a cheat’s version by adding 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon saffron and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to 1 cup (240 ml) good store-bought mayonnaise. I’ve listed the Pernod as optional because there’s no need to go out and buy a whole bottle just for 3 tablespoons, and the dish is perfectly delicious without it.

5 large chicken breasts (or a combination of breasts and thighs), either left whole or cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
3 or 4 carrots, cut into 1‑inch pieces on the diagonal
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon saffron
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
11 oz (300 g) tomato puree
2 cups (480 ml) good-quality chicken stock
1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
3 tablespoons Pernod (optional)
1 lb (450 g) baby potatoes, halved
handful of fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish
crusty bread, to serve

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it generously with salt, pepper, and the rosemary. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large pot and brown the chicken in batches (don’t crowd the pot) until nicely browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low and the onion, fennel and carrots. Saute for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Add the saffron, fennel seeds, tomato puree, chicken stock, white wine, Pernod, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the pot. Stir and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Add the browned chicken and their juices back to the pot, along with the baby potatoes.

Cover the pot and simmer for 45 to 55 minutes, until the potatoes are tender (but not falling apart) and the chicken is done. Check the seasoning, then add a dash of Pernod or a splash of white wine at the end if you think it could use a little alcohol edge. Serve hot in shallow bowls with big dollops of rouille (if using), some chopped fresh parsley sprinkled over and plenty of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

One-pot wonders, Potatoes, Poultry

Maple Chicken and Ribs with Bourbon-Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

I love Nigella Lawson and have all her cookbooks. When Nigella Express was published two years ago, I even went to the bookstore on the day it was released to get my hands on a copy hot off the presses. The first thing I made was the instant chocolate mousse, which was perfectly fine (though actually a little too sweet for my taste). The second thing I made from the book was lamb shanks and beans. I’m not a big fan of lamb at the best of times, but when I made this I was in my first trimester of pregnancy, with the usual ailments — sensitive to smell and with occasional morning sickness. I could barely stand the smell of the lamb as it was cooking, and after just one bite, I gave one of the shanks to the dog and threw the rest straight into the wheelie bin outside so I wouldn’t be able to smell it anymore. After that, I didn’t really use that cookbook for the next two years.

But seeing as how the whole premise of the Nigella Express cookbook is fast, easy meals, which I’m in need of lately, and because I still love Nigella as much as ever, lamb shanks notwithstanding, I pulled the book back off the shelf again last week to give it another chance. And to think that I had this maple chicken and ribs recipe all that time and never made it! It’s the easiest, tastiest chicken I’ve made in months, and the maple flavor really comes through, unlike in a lot of dishes that use maple syrup. I’ve included a recipe for bourbon-mashed sweet potatoes as part of the dinner, but if you want to keep things as simple as possible, then just use plain mashed sweet potatoes that have been boiled on the stove top.

As always, Nigella says it best when describing this dish: “Your input is minimal, but what you get out is a big feast that feels homey and welcoming and makes everyone happy, you included.”

maple chicken

Maple Chicken ‘n’ Ribs
adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

Serves 6 to 8

You can easily decrease the quantities here if you don’t want to make 6 to 8 servings, or make this only using ribs or chicken instead of both (I just made chicken).

12 pork spareribs
12 chicken thighs, skin and bone still on
1 cup (240 ml) apple juice, as sharp as possible
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 star anise (optional; by all means use them if you have them, but I wouldn’t get them just for this recipe)
1 cinnamon stick, halved
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Put the ribs and chicken pieces in a couple of large freezer bags or into a dish. Add the remaining ingredients, squelching everything together well, before sealing the bag or covering the dish. Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Pour the contents of the bag into one or two large roasting tins (making sure the chicken is skin-side up), place in the oven and cook for about 1 1/4 hours, by which time everything should be sticky and glossed chestnut brown.

***

Bourbon-Mashed Sweet Potatoes
adapted from Emeril Legasse’s recipe in Food Network Favorites

Serves 4 to 6

1 3/4 to 2 lb (800 to 900 g) sweet potatoes
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (60 ml) bourbon whiskey
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses or black treacle
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Place the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet and prick each potato once or twice with a fork. Bake until they are tender and starting to ooze sugary syrup, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on their size. Remove from the oven and let them sit until they’re cool enough to handle.

Cut a slit down each potato and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Discard the skins. Add the cream, bourbon, brown sugar, molasses, and salt and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover to keep warm, or gently reheat before serving.

***

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots
adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Serves 4

The original recipe calls for the vegetables to be roasted at 425°F (220°C), but I’ve adapted it here to be 400°F (200°C), which is the temperature that the chicken and ribs are cooked at, meaning you can easily prepare both dishes in the same oven.

2 lb (900 g) parsnips, peeled
1 lb (450 g) carrots, unpeeled
3 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

If the parsnips and carrots are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise. Slice each one diagonally into 1‑inch-thick slices. The vegetables will shrink while cooking, so don’t make the pieces too small. Place the cut vegetables on a baking tray. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until the parsnips and carrots are just tender. Sprinkle with dill or parsley and serve hot.