Glazed Chicken With Porcini And Crisp Potatoes Food

GLAZED CHICKEN WITH PORCINI AND CRISP POTATOES

Steps:

• Soak porcini in hot water (1 1/2 cups) in a small bowl until well softened, 20 to 30 minutes. Lift porcini out, squeezing liquid into bowl, then rinse porcini (to remove any grit) and coarsely chop. Strain soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a damp paper towel into a small saucepan and reserve.
• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Cook shallots in 2 tablespoons oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add porcini, chopped thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons Marsala and boil until most of liquid has evaporated, then remove from heat.
• Add honey to soaking liquid in saucepan with thyme sprigs, remaining 2 tablespoons Marsala, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Boil until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs.
• Meanwhile, remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry. Season inside and out with a rounded teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Stuff cavity with mushroom mixture and tie legs with string.
• Put chicken in a small (13-by 9-inch) roasting pan. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 1 hour. About 5 minutes before chicken is done, brush with all of honey glaze. If glaze begins to get too dark before chicken is cooked through, loosely cover with foil.
• While chicken roasts, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. In cleaned nonstick skillet, heat remaining 3 1/3 tablespoons oil over medium heat, then add potatoes, stirring to coat. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup water and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and potatoes are golden brown all over, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet (do not cover).
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest 15 minutes. Turn off oven and put potatoes in oven to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, straddle roasting pan across 2 burners and add flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth and vinegar, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Boil mixture until reduced by about a third, about 4 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a gravy boat.
• Discard kitchen string from chicken. Scoop out mushroom mixture into a bowl, stir in potatoes, and serve with chicken.

GARLIC AND HERB CHEESE-GLAZED SIRLOIN AND ORZO SALAD WITH FENNEL, TOMATOES AND OREGANO

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper and add to hot pan. Cook 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium. Remove steaks from pan and set aside. To the same pan, add cheese and vermouth. Simmer 2 minutes, until cheese melts and creates a sauce, scraping up any brown bits from the pan and incorporating them into the sauce. Spoon sauce over steaks just before serving.
• To make the salad, in a large bowl, combine cooked orzo, fennel, tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, and remaining olive oil. Toss to combine and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

POTATO AND PORCINI GRATIN

Steps:

• In a bowl soak porcini in warm water 30 minutes, or until softened. Slowly strain soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter or a double thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth into a small saucepan, being careful to leave last tablespoon (containing sediment) in bowl. Boil soaking liquid until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Wash porcini under cold water to remove any grit and pat dry. Chop porcini coarse. Peel potatoes and slice 1/8 inch thick. In a large (4-quart) saucepan cook porcini and garlic in butter over moderate heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add potatoes, reduced porcini liquid, milk, cream, 4 teaspoons chives, and salt and bring liquid to boil, stirring.
• Transfer mixture to a buttered 2-quart gratin dish and bake 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle gratin with remaining 2 teaspoons chives.

CRISPY POTATO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Coarsely shred the potato. Transfer shredded potato to a bowl of ice water; let stand for 5 minutes.
• Stir together the mustard and garlic; mix well. Rinse chicken and thoroughly pat dry. Brush or spread the mustard mixture evenly on the meaty side of the chicken breast halves. Place the chicken, bone-side down, on a foil-lined 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.
• Drain shredded potato. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels (this step is important); place in a medium mixing bowl. Add olive oil, toss to mix well. Top each piece of chicken with about 1/3 cup potato mixture in an even layer, forming a "skin". Sprinkle lightly with pepper.
• Bake in a 425 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and potato shreds are golden. (If potatoes are not browning, transfer pan to broiler. Broil about 5 minutes or till golden, watching closely.) Sprinkle with desired herb.