Tuesday's Tale

Tuesday dawned warm and sunny, with a predicted high of 73 degrees F. Since this is trash day, my morning was a little bit busier than usual. But, I switched out the kitty litter and got the trash (and the dump cart box) out to the road before I left for work.

I swung by Westborn at lunch to pick up this weeks veggies and fruit. I got a bag of carrots, some celery, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, five Granny Smith apples and (impulse buy) seven ears of bi-colored sweet corn from Florida.

When I got home at lunchtime, I spatchcocked the chicken. Basically, this means cutting down the backbone on both sides with a good pair of kitchen scissors. Why? Well, this allows the chicken to be spread flat and decreases your chance that some parts will be well cooked and others raw. Note: there's a trick to getting out the wishbone that Carla told me about, but I couldn't either remember or figure it out. So, I let it be. I put it back in the fridge, covered with cling wrap, cleaned up and then sprayed everything with antibacterial cleaner (Damn the chicken police!)

I also cut off the long stems and the excess hair of the sweet corn and put it in my stock pot, covered with water.

I hurriedly ate a ham sandwich and then headed back to work.

Once I got home at 5:15 PM, I immediately made my barbecue dry rub for the chicken. I got a bowl and added one tablespoon of onion powder, one tablespoon of garlic powder, one tablespoon of salt (I used Lawry's seasoned salt here), two teaspoons whole mustard seeds, one teaspoon sage, one teaspoon thyme, one teaspoon paprika, and one teaspoon ground black pepper. I mixed that all together.

I also cut up five pats of butter and put them on a saucer.

I took out the chicken and, first, stuck my fingers between the skin and the meat. Every time I hollowed out a pocket, I added a pat of butter and massaged it in. Then I added the dry rub, sprinkling it about and then rubbing it in (on both sides, BTW). I had previously turned the oven onto 350 degrees F. to preheat. So, I put the chicken into a roasting pan with a rack and stuck it in the oven for an hour and 20 minutes.

Then I disconnected the dump trailer and got the mower ready. I need to cut the back lawn (no matter how torn up it is). I wore my watch (which I never do at home) so I wouldn't overcook the chicken. But, it took just over an hour to finish up. Looks great (except for the ruts and two big piles of wood chips right in the middle of the lawn!)

When I pulled the mower back in the garage, I pulled the grill out and lit a fire under the charcoal I put in the charcoal starter. I went in the house and started on my potatoes. I took eight medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes and scrubbed them. Then I cut them length-wise into 1/2 inch slices and put them in cold water to parboil.

While they were cooking, I mixed together dried rosemary leaves, fresh chopped sage, Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and the zest of one lemon. Then I added some olive oil and mixed that all together in a large bowl.

Back outside, I spread the hot coals over more fresh charcoal, cleaned the grille grates and oiled them.

Back inside, I checked on the chicken and it was done. So, I turned off the oven and opened the door a bit. I checked on the potatoes and they were done (about six minutes, or until tender but still holding their shape). So, I drained them in a colander and then put them in the bowl with the seasonings. I tossed them all about and then let them sit and get happy.

I put the corn on the grille and got that roasting. When it was done, I put it on the cool end of the grille and spread out my potatoes. I got a sheet pan and, after shucking it, took the corn inside.

I kept moving the potatoes around so they didn't burn and each one was a nice golden brown (with great grille marks, BTW). I piled each finished one on the cool side to stay warm. When they were done, I put the chicken on, skin-side down, and basted the inside with barbecue sauce.

When the skin was a nice golden brown, I flipped it over and basted it. When the other side was done, I turned it over, just to caramelize the barbecue sauce on the skin side. Then, I pulled it off and took the platter inside. While the chicken was resting, I grilled a steak, seasoned only with Montreal steak seasoning I'd pressed into both sides. This is for another day (as is the corn) but I hate to waste hot coals!

I brought the steak inside, shut up the grille and closed the garage door.

Inside, I plated some chicken and potatoes. It looked so good I took a photo for you!

Happy but tired, I went into the bedroom to eat and watch some TV. Both the chicken and the potatoes were excellent, BTW.