Recipe Wednesday: No-Fuss, No-Fail Meal

Last Thursday on date night, I made a no-full meal that did not, and I believe could not, fail.  I had bought a Perdue chicken (the best in my opinion) for 99 cents a pound (hooray!), and a big ten pound bag of russet potatoes.  So here's what I did with those things, plus some spices and oil:


I slow-cooked the chicken for 9 hours.  It was so moist and succulent, it literally fell apart off the bone.  "You made good meat," Hband said.  And I had chicken broth left over.


I roasted the potatoes.  Simple, but they were so good I actually got a compliment from Hband.  Plus, he literally licked his plate clean.  Best compliment ever.  But I am ashamed to say we ate almost ALL the potatoes.  We're gluttons.


Here's what you need:

• a chicken that will fit in your slow cooker
• olive oil
• cracked pepper
• kosher salt or sea salt
• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• crushed and dried basil leaves
• onion salt
• garlic powder

Take the giblets out of your chicken and rinse it.  Rub it down with olive oil and cracked pepper, salt, and garlic powder.  Place it in your slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours (mine warmed for another hour until I got home from work).  DONE.


Preheat oven to 400.  Wash potatoes and cut into about one inch cubes.  Place in a bowl and fill halfway with water.  Cook in microwave for about ten minutes (you want them to be firm still, not soft and boiled).  Drain well.  Pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a roasting pan or casserole pan.  Toss your potatoes in and cover with pepper, salt, onion powder, basil, and crushed garlic, to taste.  Roast in the oven for about an hour, but be sure to toss them around halfway through.  You want them to brown evenly.  Be sure they're not burning.  You should have shriveling, crunchy browned potato chunks when they're done.


I served these with broccoli, and it was a feast.  This could easily feed four, with some leftovers.


I was inspired by this and this.


Go, and do likewise.


xoxo, A