Roast chicken (at home)

Wausau, Wisconsin, November 14, 2010—

DINNER AT HOME tonight, at Eve and Shawn's, with his parents: six at table. The girls roasted a chicken. How hot should I heat the oven, Eve asked, 475°, I said, I always start it hot for a few minutes, then reduce the temperature, turning it once about halfway through cooking. (At home I put it on a rack, start it on one side, finish on the other. If it's a big bird, I'll turn it breast and back side up as well, maybe buttering it a little when I turn it.)

Turns out Eve's oven thermometer reads high, so the chicken wasn't completely done when I carve it. No problem: serve the breast meat, open the bird out and put it back in the oven for the dark meat to cook further. Twice-cooked chicken.



With it, roast potatoes, and carrots, green beans, and shallots stir-fried. Delicious: the carrots came from Eve's garden.

Cheap Pinot grigio