Sea Bass With Potatoes, Leeks, and Thyme

Another winner from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook! You can use black bass, turbot, or any type of sea bass, though I used striped sea bass from the Union Square Greenmarket. Since the fillet needs to be 1-1½ inches thick in order to cook properly, avoid the tail pieces. The chunky stew of leeks and potatoes pairs extremely well with the mild, sweet flavor and firm, flaky texture of the sea bass I used - I would definitely make this dish again!

Sea Bass With Potatoes, Leeks, and Thyme From The Zuni Cafe Cookbook Ingredients: • 4 pieces sea bass fillet, about 6 ounces each and 1-1½ inches thick • sea salt, to taste • About ¾ pound peeled yellow-fleshed potatoes, preferably yellow Finnish, Bintje, or German Butterballs, cut into irregular bite-sized chunks (I used fingerling potatoes) • 1-1½ cups diced or thinkly sliced leeks (including a little bit of the green part) • A few sprigs of fresh thyme • About 1¼ cups chicken stock • A splash or two of dry white vermouth • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced and chilled • A trickle of Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar, if needed Directions: 1. Season the fish lightly and evenly with salt. Cover loosely and refrigerate. For best flavor, do this a few hours in advance. 2. Preheat the broiler. Position the rack so that it's about 6 inches from the heating element. Place the potatoes in the saucepan, add cold water to cover, and turn the heat to medium. Season liberally with salt, stir, and taste - the water should be as seasoned as you'd like the potatoes to be. Cook the potatoes at a gentle simmer until tender and soft on the edges, about 5 minutes. 3. Drain the potatoes well and place them, still steaming, in a 12 or 14-inch ovenproof skillet. Add the leeks, thyme, about 1 cup of the chicken stock, and a splash of vermouth. Set the heat at medium and swirl as the broth starts to simmer. Add about 4 tablespoons of butter, and swirl until it melts. Taste for salt. 4. Reduce the heat to low and add the fish. Swirl and tilt the pan to baste the surface of the fish with the buttery broth. The liquid level should rise as the bass releases its juices into the broth, but if it doesn't, add more chicken stock. Make sure no bits of leek are stuck to the sides of the pan or on top of the fish, and place the pan under the broiler. Cook until the surface of the fish and potatoes is lightly gratinéed (browned), about 5-6 minutes. The liquid should be bubbling vigorously at this point. 5. Reduce the oven temperature to 500°F and cook until the fish is medium-rare, another 1-5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the stovetop and using a spatula and tongs, lift the fish, and place on a platter side by side (don't stack the fish on top of one another). The fish will finish cooking as it rests. 6. Swirl the pan gently over medium heat so that the sauce thickens as it simmers. Taste, and add the remaining butter and adjust the salt. Drain any liquid on the platter of fish into the simmering sauce in the pan. Allow the sauce to reduce until it is somewhat thick. Taste, and add a splah of vermouth or a few drops of vinegar, if it tastes flat. Transfer the fish to plates, and spoon and potato-leek sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.

Roast Pheasant and Pheasant Sausage Braised with Grapes

I love doing unconventional things with conventional ingredients, and while grapes are usually eaten in their fresh state, they are delicious baked into tarts or in this case, fried (yes, fried) and reduced into a sauce that compliment the spicy sausages in this dish perfectly. The idea came from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, where there is a recipe for quail and sausage braised with grapes, a modern take on the traditional Umbrian dish called Salsiccia all’Uva. I couldn't find any quail at the Union Square Greenmarket today, so I chose another game bird instead - pheasant. And although the original recipe called for cooking the quail on a stovetop, I roasted the pheasant since whole pheasant is much larger than quail and cooking it on a stovetop would have been impossible. I also used spicy pheasant sausage, though Rodgers did suggest fennel sausage (which is usually pork). In fact, so much was changed from the original recipe, I can't really say that my recipe was adapted from hers; 'inspired by' is probably a more appropriate term in this case.

Choosing the right type of grapes is important to this dish. It is traditionally made with wine grapes (not seedless) and is supposed to result in something a bit crunchy due to the seeds, but at the Zuni Cafe, they use mostly seedless grapes, such as Black Emerald or Red Flame grapes. I chose small red and black seedless grapes at the farmer's market (I don't know what varieties they were), but whatever variety or varieties of grapes you choose, you want to make sure they aren't too sweet because it will result in sauce so sweet that it's cloying. Small grapes cook down the quickest and produce the best flavor and texture.

Another important note about this dish is that it's best eaten immediately because the grape sauce loses its flavor and the pheasant and pheasant sausages may dry out.

I really enjoyed this dish, although the roast pheasant came out a bit dry but probably because I wasn't diligent enough in basting it frequently. It's actually not a difficult recipe to follow at all, however, so I'll have to try this recipe again but with quail next time and see what results. I've only had quail a handful of times in my life but what a treat it was when I got to have it!

Roast Pheasant and Pheasant Sausage Braised in Grapes Inspired by The Zuni Cafe Cookbook Ingredients: • 2 whole pheasants, about 2½-2¾ pounds each • About 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • sea salt, to taste • a few pinches of fennel seeds, barely crushed • 4 fresh pheasant sausages (3-4 ounces each) • About 2 pounds (or 5-6 cups) small, red or black seedless grapes • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse and dry the pheasant thoroughly. Rub it all over with salt and crushed fennel seeds. Also pour olive oil all over. 2. Place the pheasant in a shallow roasting pan, just large enough to hold it comfortably, and roast it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pheasant from the oven and baste the pheasant with its own juices. Cover it loosely with foil, and continue roasting for l½ hour, turning it every 15 minutes and basting it with the pan juices. 3. Cover a non-stick pan with olive oil and place a few pinches of crushed fennel seeds, then add the grapes. Stir regularly, until the skins split and release the grape juices. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20-30 minutes. If the grapes are too sweet, add a pinch of salt and/or a little vinegar. Place the sausages in a large skillet and turn heat to medium. Cook sausages for about 15 minutes, about 3-4 minutes on each of the 4 sides. When they are brown all over, reduce the heat and pour off most of the excess fat. Then add the grapes. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes or so, or until the sauce has been reduced to a rich jam. 4. When the pheasant is done cooking, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for about 15 minutes so that the juices have time to settle. Use poultry shears to cut the pheasant into serving pieces. Stir the pheasant in with the sausage and grapes. Serve immediately, as the pheasant and pheasant sausage will become dry if reheated.

Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Rabbit

Rabbit is one of those meats that when people have for the first time, they say "hey it tastes just like chicken". Although it does taste similar to chicken and is cooked in the same way, it actually has a milder flavor and is more tender. The rabbit is best roasted and eaten almost immediately, since it's a particularly lean meat and therefore dries out easily. It has the highest percentage of protein and lowest percentage of fat compared to chicken, veal, turkey, lamb, beef, and pork at 20.8% protein and 4.5% fat. It's a very healthy and delicious meat, though difficult to find - I chanced upon mine at the Union Square Greenmarket last Friday when John Fazio Farms was there selling rabbits and ducks, but as far as I know, they're only there in the summertime. By the way, as with chicken, you'll want to choose a smaller size rabbit since the younger the rabbit was when it was killed, the more tender and succulent the meat will be.

Since this was my first time cooking rabbit, I was a little nervous, but I'm glad I gave it a shot because I was pleased with the results! The Zuni Cafe Cookbook has a recipe for rabbit sausage which I may just have to try making (that is, if I can actually find lamb casings.)

Roasted Garlic-Rosemary Rabbit Ingredients: • 2½-2¾ pound whole rabbit • 10 small garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1-1½ teaspoon dried rosemary • ¼ cup white wine • 3 tablespoons lemon juice Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Rinse and dry the rabbit thoroughly. Rub it all over - both the inside and the outside - with the garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil. 2. Place the rabbit in a shallow roasting pan, just large enough to hold it comfortably, and roast it in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the rabbit from the oven and pour the wine and lemon juice over it, if you desired. Also, baste the rabbit with its own juices (it helps if you have a baster). Cover it loosely with foil, and continue roasting for l hour, turning it every 15 minutes and basting it with the pan juices. 3. After an hour, increase the oven temperature to 450°F and uncover rabbit. Roast for another 15 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Baste often with the pan juices to keep meat succulent, turning once or twice for even coloring. 4. Use poultry shears to cut rabbit into serving pieces. Arrange on the platter with sprigs of rosemary, and drizzle the rabbit with its pan juices, if desired.

Ribeye Steak with Salmorigano and Haricot Yaune

I was so excited when the Zuni Cafe Cookbook arrived in the mail yesterday because it's won the James Beard Foundation Cookbook of the Year award and IACP Cookbook of the Year award. Also, the restaurant won the James Beard Foundation Restaurant of the Year, and Judy Rodgers (who founded Zuni Cafe and wrote the book) won the James Beard Foundation Best Chef of the Year award. Not only do the recipes look delicious, the cookbook is very well-written and include many helpful details for the home cook, a glossary for ingredients, and even wine pairings for each main course (a nice touch for those who drink alcohol, though I currently can't). It's also a natural transition from the Alice Waters style cooking that I've been doing for the past year or so - French and Italian influenced Californian cuisine with a focus on fresh, seasonal, and organic/natural ingredients. Judy Rodgers actually interned at Chez Panisse at one time before she started Zuni Cafe.

The first recipe I decided to make was salmorigano, which is a salsa-marinade that can be used for marinating meat, or as a sauce for cooked food, such as fish or roasted or grilled vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, onions, eggplant, etc), or even as a sauce for grilled bread. It's traditionally made with fresh oregano, but this version of it uses dried oregano. I used salmorigano to marinate pieces of ribeye (one of my favorite cuts of meat) overnight - it definitely didn't disappoint! I paired the ribeye with haricot yaune (the yellow version of haricot vert) which was sauteed with onions and lavendar peppers.


Black and lavendar peppers from the Union Square Greenmarket

A few tips when buying steak: a) Look for lots of marbling (thin threads of fat throughout the meat) - marbling means fat which means flavor b) It should be about 1-1½ inches thick so that it doesn't dry out while it's being cooked c) Grass fed, naturally raised beef is your best quality meat, but if not, go for USDA Prime; and if not Prime, then Choice (one level below Prime). d) The best cuts are filet mignon or tenderloin (the most tender and expensive cut, though not the most flavorful), ribeye (well marbled, one of the juiciest and most flavorful cuts), New York Strip (best cut for grilling), Porterhouse (a combination of New York Strip steak on one side and tender filet on the other), and T-bone (very similar to a Porterhouse steak, except with less of the tenderloin muscle.)

Ribeye Steak with Salmorigano and Haricot Yaune Adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook Ingredients: • 4 ribeye steaks, 1-1½ inches thick, about 10 ounces each • 1 pound haricot yaune, washed and stems trimmed (or if you can't find them, substitute haricot vert) • 1 bell pepper, washed diced (I used lavender pepper, but you can use any color - preferably red, orange, or yellow, as green ones lend a bitter rather than sweet flavor) • 1 red onion, peeled and diced Salmorigano • 12 small garlic cloves • About 1½ cup extra-virgin olive oil • ¾ teaspoon salt • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or chili pepper flakes\ • 3 tablespoons dried oregano • 1½ lemons, halved • 6 tablespoons simmering water Directions: 1. Remove your steak from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook it and allow it to come to room temperature, since a cold steak will contract when it hits the heat and cause it to toughen. Preheat your oven to 425°F. 2. Salmorigano: Peel and crush the garlic in a garlic press. Add a pinch of salt, then add the oregano, oil, and black pepper or dried chili. Stir the mixture to combine. Just before using, add the simmering water, squeeze in the lemon juice, whisk, and taste. The sauce shouldn't be too tart or sour so as to overwhelm the other flavors. If you're using it as a marinade, allow each piece of steak to soak in the mixture for up to 1 hour. 3. Haricot Yaune: Sauté the onion in a non stick pan on medium high heat for about 10 minutes until it begins to caramelize. Then add the haricot yaune and sauté for 10 minutes more until they are soft. (I prefer them a bit on the softer side, so sauté for 6 or 7 minutes if you prefer them a little crunchy.) 4. Preheat a skillet to medium high heat. When it's hot, drop the steak in the skillet and sear each side for 30-45 seconds, depending on its thickness. Then place the steak in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, again depending on its thickness - this will produce a medium rare steak, so leave the steak in for longer if you prefer a steak that's more well done. Remove the steak and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes to let the juices settle before serving with a side of haricot yaune and caramelized onions.

Wild Mussels in Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce

Hello hello! So if you've been following along in my blog, I'm sure you've noticed that many of my most recent entries are of seafood - however, surprisingly, I still haven't done an entry on any type of small shellfish, such as clams, mussels, shrimp, and oysters. Nothing beats the taste of fresh shellfish, so it's about time for this simple but yummy recipe for wild mussels! You do have to be careful in the summer months to make sure these sea creatures remain as fresh as possible though. When I buy them at the local farmer's market, I always remember to ask them to give me a bag of ice, just to make absolute sure that the seafood stays fresh on my way home. And they really have to be eaten within 2 days max; the sooner you eat them, the better. I had bad mussels once (past 2 days of purchase) and my stomach complained about it for hours afterwards; that was NOT fun. Oh and one other thing, mussels are always sold live and they need to breathe. So when you get home, whatever you do, don't put them in an airtight container or the vegetable drawer or they will all suffocate, and a dead mussel is not a mussel you want to eat.

The sauce is a riff of the simple tomato sauce I'd posted earlier except this time, I stirred in some fresh basil a couple minutes before I turned off the heat. I also used the most delicious heirloom tomatoes from the Union Square farmer's market - look at all the variety (there's even purple tomatoes)!



Anyhow, as my 5th grade teacher used to say before lunch (funny how I still remember this but I'll forget stuff that happened yesterday)... Bon appetit, time to eat! :)

Wild Mussels in Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce Ingredients: • 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded Simple Tomato Sauce • 2 pounds sweet, ripe greenhouse tomatoes, washed, chopped, and seeded • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press • 1 large red onion, diced • 1 teaspoon salt • Fresh basil • Fresh parsley (optional) Directions: 1. Tomato sauce: Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt. 4. Bring the sauce to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and cook for 30 to 45 minutes at steady simmer, or until the fat floats free from the tomato and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. 5. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if necessary. Stir in the fresh basil and turn off the heat after a couple minutes. 6. Hold each mussel under cold running water. Use a brush with stiff bristles to thoroughly scrub the mussel and remove grit, sand, and mud from the shell's exterior. Wild mussels usually have a dark, shaggy beard extending from each shell. After scrubbing each mussel, pull the beard away from the shell until taut, and then pull the beard down sharply toward the dark hinge. It should snap away easily. Removing its beard will kill the mussel, so perform this step just before cooking them. 7. Add the mussels, cover, and stream until they are open, about 5-7 minutes. Shake the pot, holding down the lid with a kitchen towel, to redistribute the mussels. Discard any mussels that do not open because this indicates that they have died. Place the mussels in a plate, then pour the warm tomato basil sauce over them. Garnish with fresh parsley, if you wish.

Wild Mahi Mahi with Artichoke Mashed Potatoes

Wild Mahi Mahi with Artichoke Mashed Potatoes Adapted from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Café Cookbook Ingredients: • 4 6-8 ounce wild mahi-mahi fillets, preferably premium center-cut • 3 large artichokes • Juice of ½ lemon • 3 garlic cloves • Thyme sprigs • Extra-virgin olive oil • Salt • 2½ pounds Russet potatoes • 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter or duck fat (you can substitute extra-virgin olive oil if you're trying to be healthy) • ¼ cup half-and-half (optional; or you can substitute nut milk or other non-dairy milk if you're lactose intolerant) • White wine vinegar • Freshly ground black pepper Directions: 1. Pull off the outer leaves of the artichokes until you reach the tender yellow central leaves. Cut crosswise through the leaves about 1½ inches above the base, and cut off all but an inch of each stem. With a paring knife, cut away all the deep green, down to the heart. Scoop out the chokes with a teaspoon. Drop the trimmed artichokes into water acidulated with lemon juice as you work. If you're still confused about how to prepare artichokes, Here is an extremely helpful step-by-step guide to how to prepare them, including photos for each step. 2. Cut the artichokes lengthwise into slices about ½ inch thick. Peel and smash the garlic. Put the artichokes, garlic, and a few thyme sprigs in a sauté pan with a generous amount of olive oil and season with salt. Stew over medium heat until quite tender; the artichokes should brown slightly. Drain and save the oil. Remove the thyme sprigs. Roughly chop the artichokes and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 3. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Boil in generously salted water until soft. Put the potatoes through a ricer or food mill with the butter or duck fat, reserving the cooking water if you like. While the potatoes are boiling, bake the mahi mahi fillets for 20 minutes or until flaky. 4. Stir in the artichokes, the reserved oil, the half-and-half, and a splash of vinegar. Taste for seasoning and correct with salt and freshly milled black pepper. To adjust the consistency, add more half-and-half or a little of the potato cooking water.

Roasted Lemon-Garlic-Rosemary Chicken with String Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Garlic-Rosemary Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat

Roasting a whole chicken has got to be one of the best ways to cook it, producing tender, juicy, and flavorful meat. It's really the ultimate comfort food! There are countless variations of roasted chicken, but this time, I decided to stick to the tried-and-true classic flavorings of extra-virgin olive oil, rosemary, lemon, and garlic because it brings back fond memories of the lemon-garlic-rosemary rotisserie chicken that my mom used to buy for dinner. I paired it with two equally mouthwatering sides, which worked incredibly well with the chicken: sautéed string beans with caramelized onions (recipe too simple and intuitive to include), and garlic-rosemary potatoes roasted in duck fat. Yum... duck fat. In the culinary world, it's seen as liquid gold - it makes the outside of the potatoes crispy and imparts a rich, savory, out-of-this-world flavor to them that is even better than butter. It's how French fries are traditionally made! Hey, did you know that duck fat is actually lower in saturated fat and higher in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (ie. the good fats) than butter? Although I only mentioned that so I could feel less guilty about eating duck fat... *hangs head*.

A few tips to remember when roasting a chicken:
1. Pick a free-range, organic chicken. It will make a significant difference. Watch 'Food, Inc.' (a documentary about how our food is now being produced), if you haven't already, and you'll be enlightened about the unhealthy conditions that regular mass-produced chickens are raised under! Most of the chickens we consume have been caged inside tiny, overcrowded coops filled with their own feces, fed hormones, antibiotics, and animal by-products (instead of grains, their natural food), and frequently become sick (is it any wonder why that happens?). And horror of horrors, even the sick birds get sent to the factory to be processed - disgusting! These conditions produce chickens that are less moist, less flavorful, and less healthy.
2. Season it ahead of time. If you neglected to buy a free-range/kosher/organic bird, make sure to brine the bird so the meat will remain juicy as it cooks. Otherwise, brining is probably an unnecessary step so just season it and refrigerate for at least an hour. Brining is basically soaking the chicken for several hours or overnight in enough salted water to cover the entire bird and whatever other herbs you decide to toss in for extra flavor. If you care to know how the scientific process of brining works, it basically forces water into the muscle tissues, and when that water flows out, salt flows in and begins to break down some of the proteins in the cells, which in turn creates more room for more water to flow in.
3. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator at least an hour before cooking. A cold bird straight from the fridge won't roast evenly; the outside will cook but the interior will be underdone.
4. Choose the right pan for the job. Roast the chicken in an ovenproof dish or pan that's about the same size as the chicken. If you use a pan that's too large, the juices that accumulate while the chicken is roasting will start to burn and smoke.. unless of course, you're roasting potatoes or other vegetables alongside the chicken in the same pan (I used a separate pan to roast my potatoes).

Roasted Lemon-Garlic-Rosemary Chicken with String Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Roasted Potatoes Roasted Chicken Ingredients: • 1 whole 3-3½ pound baby chicken • 1 tablespoon sea salt • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper • a few sprigs rosemary, minced • 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled • 1 lemon For brine: • ¼ cup sea salt • a few sprigs rosemary • 3 garlic cloves, peeled Directions: 1. Remove any organs from the cavity and reserve for another use. Cut off the wishbone and trim the fat around the edges. If you are brining the bird, skip to step 1a. If not: Rinse the bird with cold water and pat dry. Liberally salt and pepper the entire bird, both inside the cavity and all over the outside surface, including the back, wings, and inner and outer thighs. Carefully loosen the skin from the breast meat, using kitchen scissors if necessary, but take care not to cut through the skin. Pull the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and mince them. Combine the minced garlic, minced rosemary, and salt to form a paste. Spread about 1½ teaspoons of paste in cavity of chicken. Slip half of remaining paste under skin on each side of breast, then, using fingers, distribute paste over breast and thigh by rubbing surface of skin. Cut 1 of the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Place the lemon quarters in the cavity of the chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 1a. Combine salt, crushed garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs in 2 cups hot tap water, and let stand 10 minutes to release flavors. Add 1½ quarts cold water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cut 1 of the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Place the lemon quarters in the cavity of the chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. NOTE: Keep in mind that the longer you soak the bird in the brine, the saltier the surface will be when you roast it. I soaked it overnight once, and it was way too salty for my taste! 2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before roasting. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the chicken, breast up, in a roasting pan or earthenware baking dish, and roast for 10 minutes. Brush the outside of the bird with olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and cook for another 45 minutes, using tongs to turn the bird twice during the cooking. This will circulate the juices and fat and keep the meat moist. The chicken is done roasting when it has turned a medium golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast and thigh registers about 165 - 175 degrees, respectively. NOTE: You can prepare the vegetables while the chicken is roasting. 3. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, at least 15 minutes. The juices will settle, the internal temperature will stabilize, and the chicken will be much more succulent than if you carve it immediately. Remove the strings tying the drumsticks together and discard the lemons inside. NOTE: The fat from the juices left in the pan can be converted into a sauce or a gravy. 4. To carve the roasted chicken, slice through the skin between the thigh and breast. Place the bird back in the roasting pan to do this because this will release a lot of juices. Tip the bird forward to drain the juices and then remove it from the pan. Bend or pull the leg out from the body and locate the hip joint with your knife, slicing down firmly through the joint to remove the leg. To remove the drumstick, hold the knob of the drumstick and cut through the joint from the inside. To carve the breast, start at the wishbone at the top of the breast. Slide the point of your knife down each side of the breastbone. Then cut down along the wishbone towards the wings. Slide your knife under the meat, lifting it off the rib cage. Last, holding the meat away from the bird cut down through the wing joint, removing the breast and wing in one piece. Either carve the breast into slices or cut it in half diagonally, making the half with the wing attached slightly smaller. The carcass can be reserved to make chicken stock. Garlic-rosemary Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat Ingredients: • 2 pounds potatoes, quartered (I like Yukon Gold, but any waxy variety will do; Russet potatoes or other baking potatoes usually fall apart when cooked in duck fat, so they should probably be avoided in this recipe) • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced • 1-2 sprigs rosemary, minced • sea salt, to taste • freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 2-3 tablespoons duck fat Directions: 1. Wash and chunk potatoes. While they're draining in a colander, generously salt the potatoes and shake the colander to evenly distribute the salt. Place the potato chunks into an oven-safe pan and pour the duck fat on top of the potatoes, mixing the potatoes by hand to evenly cover the potatoes. Add the pepper and minced rosemary. 2. Roast them in the oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes, stirring the potatoes every 15 minutes so that the potatoes are evenly browned and the duck fat coats all the potatoes.