Comfort Food Heaven! by Don Sefton, Catering Events Manager
With the dipping temperature and several days off at home, I found it necessary to make my favorite comfort food: roasted chicken & mashed potatoes. I have finally, after several years, practically perfected the elusive roasted chicken. Mine is a variation on Thomas Keller’s, whereas I pat the chicken dry and heavily coat it with kosher salt and fresh thyme, and shove several branches of leftover thyme in its cavity. The main key is to roast it at a high temperature with a dry environment to get a crispy, parchment-like skin which seals in the moisture. To finally master a fine roasted chicken has been the delight of my friends and Jeff!
I also made a homemade chicken gravy from the drippings and crunchies with a little canned chicken stock, flour and water, and pepper. It went marvelously with my creamy garlic and butter whipped yukon gold mashed potatoes! I know that Julia Child did not like her mashed potatoes with the skins on, but I think that yukon golds are the exception. And with 3/4 stick of butter, how can you go wrong?
One of my favorite fall/winter side dishes is my brussels sprouts! I crisp up thick cut smoked pepper bacon, saute shallots, throw in butter, Dijon and coarse ground mustard and then put in steamed brussels sprouts. I love to chop them up with a wooden spatula and toss it all together as a “hash.” With gravy all over everything and the smell of roasted chicken and thyme in the air- it is near heaven!!!
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