Dry Rubbed Roast Chicken with Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

I haven’t posted a roast chicken recipe in a few weeks, so I guess I’m overdue.  We got this chicken from a local kosher butcher, and while the taste was fantastic, it had a TON of pinfeathers still in it I had to pull out and I probably won’t be buying a whole chicken from that particular butcher again.  Keep in mind if you are buying chicken from a butcher (particularly a kosher butcher) that many pre-brine their chickens, as was the case here.  Because of that, I skipped the wet brine and did not use any salt in my dry rub.  The rub turned out fantastic, though – a perfect combination of slightly sweet and slightly spicy.  As always, for a full how-to on roast chicken check out my post for the Perfect Roast Chicken (just be sure not to brine a pre-brined chicken, it will be over-salted and mushy).

The sweet potato fries were also very good, with a hint of heat from the Old Bay and lots of sweetness from the fries themselves.  The cool tang of the Greek yogurt-based dipping sauce worked really well with them (and the chicken).  I only pictured the fries up top, but there is a picture of the whole meal after the jump.

Dry Rubbed Roast Chicken with Baked Sweet Potato Fries and Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Dry Rubbed Roast Chicken:

1 whole fryer/broiler chicken, rinsed in cold water with neck and giblets removed (save these for homemade chicken stock!) (3.75 lbs)

1 lemon, quartered

1 Jonathan Red apple, quartered

3 tbs. Brummel & Brown

Dry Rub:

1 tbs. brown sugar

1 tbs. freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbs. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tbs. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tbs. Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp. dried thyme

Combine all dry rub ingredients.  Take Brummel & Brown from above and rub all over chicken, including under skin, in cavity, and on reverse side.  Repeat with dry rub.  Dress the chicken with lemons and apples by shoving deep into the cavity of the chicken.  Allow chicken to rest, uncovered, on roasting rack in refrigerator for at least 6-8 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 475°.

Remove chicken from refrigerator and place on a baking dish on top of a roasting rack.  `Place chicken in preheated oven on center rack.  Roast at 475° for 15 minutes or until skin is light golden brown.  After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350°.  Roast chicken roughly 20 minutes per pound (rounding up to nearest pound), or until meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken’s thigh reads 185º.  If chicken becomes overly brown, tent with a piece of tinfoil.

When fully cooked, remove chicken from oven and cover with tinfoil.  Rest 15-20 minutes, which will allow juices to redistribute and result in a tender, juicy bird.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries:

3 sweet potatoes, rinsed and cut into 1/4″ long slices and 1/4″ wide strips

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbs. Old Bay seasoning

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

As chicken is resting, increase heat to 450º.

On a tinfoil lined baking sheet, toss sweet potato strips with olive oil.  Season with Old Bay, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until crispy on the outside, shaking pan every 5-10 minutes.

Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce:

3 heaping tbs. plain Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and let chill in refrigerator at least one hour.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey and Jalapeno Croquettes

My parents always have a second Thanksgiving the weekend after our actual family Thanksgiving to provide themselves some leftovers and the opportunity to make their very favorite dishes exactly how they want them.  Zak and I attended on Sunday and were sent home with some leftovers of our own (including a turkey carcass … helllooooo turkey stock!), and I wanted to find some creative ways to use them up.

Inspired by my success with arancini, I thought I would try something similar with mashed potatoes.  A quick Google search confirmed that this was something that was commonly done and I adapted this recipe very loosely from Paula Deen.  I really loved this as an alternative to another meal of reheated turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  The outside was crispy with just a touch of salty goodness and the inside was creamy, spicy, cheesy, and decadent.  It tasted a bit like a jalapeño popper with the added bonus of some delicious turkey morsels and extra creaminess from the potatoes.

Should you not want to turn the oven on, you can flatten these into patties and I imagine you would be able to skip heating the centers in the oven.  I really loved the large portion of creamy mashed potatoes, though, and would stick to the recipe if you think you might feel the same way.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey and Jalapeño Croquettes

Loosely adapted from Paula Deen

Turkey and Jalapeño Croquettes:

2 1/2 cups leftover, chilled mashed potatoes (I didn’t use this recipe, but it would work very well here)

1 jalapeño, finely diced

1 cup leftover turkey, finely chopped (preferably white and dark meat)

1/2 cup very sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 eggs, beaten, divided

3-4 tbs. all-natural, whole wheat flour (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 1/2 cups Ritz crackers, finely crumbled (about a sleeve, minus a few that may accidentally fall in your mouth)

1/4 cup canola oil

Nonstick cooking spray

Combine mashed potatoes, jalapeño, turkey, cheddar cheese, 1 beaten egg, and kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  If necessary, add a few tablespoons of flour to thicken mixture so texture is easily malleable and stays together when formed (my mashed potatoes were on the less firm side originally so I used about 1-2 tbs. of flour).  Using about 1/4 cup of mashed potato mixture, form tubes roughly 1″ in diameter.  Chill in freezer until set, roughly 30 minutes.

Dip each croquette in remaining beaten eggs, then roll in crushed Ritz crackers.  Repeat.  If croquettes seem loose, chill in freezer or refrigerator until well set.

Preheat oven to 350º.

Heat canola oil in large, deep skillet.  Working in batches that allows 2-3″ of space around each croquette, fry until golden brown (roughly 3-4 minutes per side).  Place on a tinfoil lined baking sheet or large pie pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place in oven and bake until heated through, roughly 15-20 minutes.¹

Cannellini Beans with Garlic Swiss Chard and Carrots

Since I made White and Butter Beans with Feta (or Cheddar) and Breadcrumbs, I was looking forward to a variation of it.  I loved bright colors from the carrots and Swiss chard in this version.  Look at how pretty!  It was also, if possible, even more delicious than the original version.  There is a great interplay of textures between the cream of the cheese and beans and chickpeas and crisp of the Swiss chard and panko breadcrumbs.  The hint of sweetness from the roasted carrots and parsnips is a real winner alongside the savory Gruyére, beans, and greens.  Plus, this meal is incredibly easy to make and has very minimal clean up.

Finally, this meal super healthy.  Cannellini beans have tons of protein and fiber as well as healthy amounts of iron and calcium, Swiss chard has loads of vitamins A and C, chickpeas are loaded with protein, fiber, and iron, and parsnips have a ton of vitamin A and carrots have a bunch of vitamin C.  Although Gruyére does have quite a bit of cholesterol and saturated fat, it also has a lot of calcium and its bold flavors and perfect meltiness make it sooooo worth it.  Pretty, tasty, quick, easy, and healthy … basically everything you could ask for!

Cannellini Beans with Garlic Swiss Chard and Carrots

1 19 oz. can cannellini/white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 parsnips, peeled

4 small carrots, peeled (I used a mix of purple, orange, and white)

4-5 ribs Swiss chard, ribs separated from leaves and all roughly chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 white onion, diced

4 tbs. olive oil, divided

1/2 cup Gruyére cheese, roughly chopped

1/4 cup Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375º.

Place peeled carrots and parsnips in a single layer on a tinfoil lined baking sheet.  Coat with 1 tbs. olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Roast in oven 20 minutes or until browned and tender.  Set aside to cool.  Once cooled, dice into 1/4″ pieces.

Heat remaining olive oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes.  Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Add Swiss chard stems and sauté 4-5 minutes until tender.  Add greens and toss to coat with oil.  Sauté until wilted, 2-3 minutes.  Add carrots, parsnips beans, and chickpeas and toss to coat with olive oil.

Spray two oven safe bowls with nonstick cooking spray.  Transfer bean/Swiss chard mixture to bowls and intersperse with cheese.

Place bowls on baking sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly and breadcrumbs are golden brown.

White and Butter Beans with Feta (or Cheddar) and Breadcrumbs

I saw a delicious-sounding recipe for White Beans with Feta and Breadcrumbs on Yum Sugar and decided I had to try it.  I changed the recipe by adding half butter beans and some sautéed mushrooms.  Additionally, Zak is not a huge fan of feta cheese, so I separated this out into two portions and did one with feta and one with sharp cheddar.  Both versions were incredibly good.  We each ate a bowl as dinner and I found it to be extremely filling.  This would also make a great side dish or appetizer.

White and Butter Beans with Feta (or Cheddar) and Breadcrumbs

Serves 2 as a meal and 4 as an appetizer

Adapted from yumsugar.com

1 15 oz. can cannellini/white beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz. can butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms

3 tbs. olive oil, divided

2 oz. feta, crumbled or 2 oz. extra sharp cheddar, cut into a small dice

1/4 cup Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375º.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a small sauté pan.  Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

In two separate bowls, mix together beans, cooked mushrooms, remaining olive oil, parsley, and freshly cracked black pepper in an oven safe bowl.  In own bowl, mix thoroughly with feta cheese and in another, mix thoroughly with cheddar cheese.  Top with with about 1/8 cup of panko breadcrumbs.

Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly and breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I  love fried green tomatoes.  So much.  For me, they are the ultimate comfort food (well, they’re up there with roasted chicken).  I would always pester my mom to make them for me as soon as tomatoes started appearing on the vine when I was younger.  When my parents told me they had several green tomatoes I could take, I could not wait to fry up a batch and fantasized about them pretty much all day today.  My stomach was rumbling so loud in Torts class I thought the professor was going to hear it (and I sit in the last row in that class!).  It was certainly worth the wait, because these were absolutely delectable.  They are so amazingly easy, too.

I served these with Butter and Balsamic Braised Radishes with Green Beans and some jasmine rice for a full meal.  However, they make an excellent appetizer, side dish, or component for a brunch meal, as well.  Consider using them to replace an English muffin in some Eggs Benedict or just topping them with a fried egg – yum!  I also love them chilled as a snack.

Fried Green Tomatoes

5 small green tomatoes, sliced about 1/4″ thick (makes about 20-25 fried green tomatoes)

1/2 cup all natural whole wheat flour

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1-2 tsps. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbs. canola oil

Season tomato slices with salt and pepper.  Mix together flour, cornmeal, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Dredge each slice of tomato in beaten egg and then flour and cornmeal mixture.  I like a very light crust on my fried green tomatoes, but if you prefer a thicker crust, repeat this process.

In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the canola oil.  Fry the tomatoes in batches of 5-6 tomatoes until deep, golden-brown on both sides.  This should take roughly 3-5 minutes per side.  Drain the cooked tomatoes on a few paper towels.  If you’re doing a large batch of these, you can keep them warm in a 200º oven.