Skillet Rosemary Chicken

If you are looking for a simple and elegant meal that is healthy and delicious, I have the recipe for you. This skillet dish is quick and easy but still super flavorful and impressive looking. It also includes some of my favorite things; rosemary, red skin potatoes, and mushrooms. Trust me, it's a winning combination! I think rosemary is my favorite herb, it is just so yummy! I love it with potatoes, and I love it with chicken, so this dish combines all of that into one pan for a complete meal that everyone will love.

I've made this dish several times now and have found that I really love the mushrooms so I always add extra. If you like mushrooms too, I encourage you to add a few more than the 10 ounces called for. A few extra potatoes never hurt either, if you have room in your pan that is. One word of caution, the original recipe called for the juice of two lemons which I found a bit overpowering. I love lemon, but the juice of two lemons was just too much. I suggest using just one lemon (or not juicing the two lemons too vigorously), but you can adjust to your taste however works best. I also found that adding a splash of white wine was an excellent choice, I think adding wine is always delicious!

Skillet Rosemary Chicken

Adapted from: 

Minimally Invasive

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound -1 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
• Kosher salt
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Juice of 1 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4-6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs or 3 chicken leg quarters
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved (or more if you like mushrooms)
• splash of white wine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

Pile the rosemary leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; add the mushrooms and potatoes to the skillet followed by a splash of white wine. Place chicken over mushrooms and potatoes and drizzle with any marinade remaining in the bowl.

Add the rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

Cold weather always leaves me craving something hearty and warm for dinner. As I was perusing some recipes last week this Beef Stroganoff recipe called out my name and begged me to make it. Chunks of beef simmered with onions and mushrooms in broth and brandy, finished off with sour cream and served with egg noodles. It sounded like the perfect thing to satisfy my craving for something warm and delicious, and it was. Not only was it delicious, but this recipe is quite simple, not too many ingredients, and everything cooks in one skillet, even the noodles. I love only having to get one pan dirty!

Simple ingredients, simple recipe, outstanding results. This is a wonderful winter meal that I can definitely make again. All you need to do is cut up some meat into chunks, and brown them in a skillet. Remove the beef, add mushrooms and onions and cook until they release all of their liquid. Then you just add the broth and brandy, return the meat to the skillet and let it simmer for half and hour or so. Add in the noodles at the end and continue cooking until they are cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the sour cream, and dig in, yum!

This dish made me happy and warm as I ate it, the flavors are so nice. I ate my leftovers the next day at lunch and thought it was almost better the next day. The flavors had had a chance to sit and meld together, so if it seems like too big of a recipe for you or your family, have no fear, it reheats beautifully!

Ingredients shot

Cut the beef up

and brown it up

Then throw in the mushrooms

and onions

Add in the stock, brandy and beef

Finally it's time for the noodles

and sour cream

Mmmm...

Skillet Beef Stroganoff
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sirloin tips, pounded and cut into 1/2-inch strips
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 6 ounces egg noodles (about 4 cups)
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Directions
Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch skillet until hot. Add half of the beef and cook until well browned on both sides, 6-8 minutes total. Transfer beef to a bowl and repeat with the remaining meat. 

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the now empty skillet. Add mushrooms and onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, and then gradually stir in the broth and brandy, then return the beef and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the beef is nice and tender, about 30-35 minutes. 

Stir the noodles into the skillet, cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until the noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Take the skillet off the heat and add the sour cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Simple Winter Mushrooms

I never really cared all that much for mushrooms. I think it was just the texture thing and the fact that they are a fungus. I mean really, who thinks that eating a fungus sounds appetizing? They are just kind of weird. That said however, in the past year or two, mushrooms have been growing on me. They can really add some nice flavor to different dishes, and can add meatiness to an otherwise umami-less meal. The more I use mushrooms, the more I like them. A few weeks ago I was at Eastern Market in Detroit on Saturday morning, picking up some vegetables to use over the next week. I got sidetracked when I walked by the guy selling mushrooms and saw these beauties. I knew I had to try them, even at twenty bucks a pound. I snatched up a quarter pound and took them home, not having any idea of what I was going to do with them.

I don't remember everything the mushroom man told me, but I believe these are winter chanterelles (if I'm wrong please let me know, I really know next to nothing about mushroom varieties). I just thought they were so pretty; the golden color and the slender elegance of the stems just made me want to eat them right there. I asked the mushroom man what to do with them, and he said all they need is a few minutes in a pan with butter, that sounded good to me.

After spending a few minutes online, I decided that I was just going to use butter and a little of the thyme that I had in my fridge. There is really no recipe for this, all I did was melt a nob of butter in my pan, threw in the thyme leaves and let the butter cook for a little while until it was starting to brown slightly, then in when the mushrooms. Sauté those up for 3-4 minutes and you're done, that's it. It couldn't be simpler, and the aroma in the kitchen was buttery and delicious. The results were outstanding. My very first thought upon taking a bite was, meaty. The mushrooms were so meaty and hearty, it was hard to believe they are a fungus, it was almost like eating a piece of meat. They were buttery (obviously) and full of flavor. There was nothing bland about these mushrooms. Adding the little bit of thyme really complemented the natural flavors, it was the perfect combo.

Although I probably won't buy these little guys again very often (too expensive), I will definitely make them again. So simple and so delicious. This experience has really made me excited to try other kinds of mushrooms, and to use mushrooms in new and different ways. They really are a unique and interesting food that I want to get more comfortable using and better at preparing in delicious ways.

 Delicate and beautiful

 A mushroom forest!

 Into the pan with the butter and thyme

 Saute for a few minutes

Plate them up, add a little salt, and dig in