Roast Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Kale

I might have to rename my blog "Accidental Syrup: Ina's Biggest Fan" based on the number of Barefoot Contessa recipes that I've featured over the past year- yet I've only scratched the surface of all the dishes I want to try. I feel as if I've been called to spread the gospel that is Ina Garten's cooking. She is my hero on many levels- one of which is that of the Roast Chicken. She has published three or four variations of this recipe over the years and I mean it when I say, its bound to make anyone a believer. Her perfectly roasted chicken embodies all that is great about Ina. It is a classic, timeless recipe that is perfect for a lazy Friday night at home or to impress dinner guests. (If you could set a table like Ina- ideally with a picturesque Hampton's landscape- you could serve Stoffer's mac and cheese and make guests feel special.) I was in need of a comfort food kind of evening so I served the chicken with roasted garlic smashed potatoes and some greens however come fall, roasting a mix of root vegetables alongside the chicken will definitely be the way to go. I won't regurgitate the recipe (you can access it via the link provided above) because I followed it to the letter with one exception- I omitted the bacon simply because I didn't have any. I will say that I'd highly recommend that you use a real chicken when you do this- and by real I mean all natural, organic, all that good stuff. I promise you it actual tastes better, like chicken believe it or not! (Fresh Market here in Lexington has "roaster chickens" in the case that are perfectly 5-6 pounds in weight, innards and such already removed.) Beautiful, isn't she?? I'm not necessarily a gravy kind of girl but no self respecting home chef could throw all of this purely delicious FLAVOR down the drain...

I made a gravy just as Ina suggests in the recipe however I added one teaspoon of flour to the fat before any liquid. My gravy came out rather thick, which some might prefer. I'll try it without next time.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

4 yukon gold potatoes- peeled and cubed

1 whole head of garlic- wrapped in tin foil

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup of milk (2% or whole is best)

4 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon of salt (more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

(I roasted the garlic in the oven alongside the chicken for one hour.) Meanwhile I boiled the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes or so until fork tender. Next,I warmed the milk and butter together in the microwave until the butter was melted. When the garlic was done, I sliced off the top and squeezed the roasted cloves out into the bowl with the milk and butter. I mashed the cloves up with a fork, making a little slurry with the milk and butter. I tried to go sparing on the fat here which is feasible seeing as you get so much flavor from the roasted garlic....

Once the potatoes were cooked through, I drained them and put them back in the pot to mash, mixing the sour cream, butter/milk/garlic mixture, salt and pepper in as well. I like a "rough" mash where there are still a few chunks and bits left for texture. If you want a smooth and creamy version, you can blend it all together in a standing mixture versus in the pot.

The Kale was actually left over from the night before. I used the pre-washed bag of kale greens for the first time and honestly I'm not a fan. There were a ton of stem pieces that added more bitterness and roughage than I like. I prefer to start with a whole bunch, wash the leaves, remove the entire stem and then to rip the leaves into bite sized pieces. I saute it in a large skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil and 2-3 garlic cloves- minced or sliced- until bright green all over. I then add 1/4 cup of stock or water and cover with a lid to steam for 5-6 minutes until tender. I then finish it with some salt, pepper, and one tablespoon of vinegar at the end. Balsamic, rice wine, red orwhite wine, any vinegar will do.

Ina, you've outdone yourself again. This was comfort food at its finest, for sure. I enjoyed a glass of Dynamite Chardonnay with the meal which I think paired very nicely. John's not much for white wine so he was sipping on a Frog's Leap Zinfandel that we enjoyed on our recent trip to Napa. It also worked very well.