Tasty Tuesday

Last week on my day off I planned on cooking a dinner from scratch. This hasn't happened often before but I am trying hard to make it happen at least twice during the week from now on. Mondays I get home from work at a reasonable time and Thursdays are my days off so I am hoping that I can at least do something fun and homemade on these days. Tuesday and Wednesday are my "late days" that I work until 7 so am not home until at least 7:30 and cooking a meal at that time is definitely not what I am feeling like doing. Instead, wine is on my mind! :)

I digress, I decided to cook Emeril's recipe for a roasted chicken with truffle oil and The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Potatoes au Gratin. I threw in some veggies, paired with a new Chardonnay I thought looked good (we favor dry, oaky white wines). It was a great meal and I was pretty proud of myself!

(clockwise: my first roasted chicken going into the oven, Talbott Chardonnay - excellent for a price less than $13 at Costco, cooked roasted chicken (edited the pic because the hubby decided to start picking at it!, and the finished au Gratin potatoes)

They all were so good and actually very easy to put together! The wine was excellent as well and I plan on heading back to Costco this week to pick up more! If you are also a fan of dry, oaky Chardonnay's then this is an excellent wine for you - Talbott Chardonnay.

Simple Roast Chicken with Truffle Oil Drizzle

Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, stems reserved
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves, stems reserved
• 2 large onions, thickly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled
• 2 ribs celery, ends trimmed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon truffle oil, to drizzle, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken well inside and out with water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the thyme and rosemary all over the chicken and place the reserved stems inside the chicken cavity. Arrange the onion slices, carrots, celery and bay leaf in the bottom of a small roasting pan in such a way as to make a bed for the chicken to lie on. Place the chicken on the bed of vegetables, breast side up, and roast in the oven until the skin is golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue to roast until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear, 30 to 45 minutes longer.

Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

When ready to serve the chicken, carve into 8 pieces and serve, drizzled with truffle oil to taste.Garnish with fresh herb sprigs.

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin

Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Now Enjoy!!

I am also linking up for the first time with Alissa at 33 Shades of Green for Tasty Tuesdays! I am very excited and hope you jump over to see all the other blogs sharing!