Stop Hating on Brussels!

I don't know about you, but I (used to) hate brussels sprouts; to me they were bitter, unpleasant mini cabbages just waiting to be rejected. That was my point of view until I realized the glory of roasted veg. Tonight's meal was very comforting; perfect to kick off the weekend. I had a whole chicken in the freezer for a long time (of course steroid and hormone free) that I thought would go quite well with some sort of roasted vegetable or potato. I thawed the chicken knowing that it had to be cooked tonight and I had some brussels that I thought would pair well with the bird.

Dinner started with the chicken; prepared simply but deliciously with kosher salt, ground black pepper, lemon zest, garlic and crushed red pepper flake. This is pretty much my go-to flavor profile so it is a bit of a cheat but always a crowd pleaser. I whisked the aforementioned ingredients with some EV olive oil and a bit of Dijon mustard then spread it across the chicken under its skin and let it rest for about an hour before putting it in the oven. The experts say you should season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper so I did that as well (both on the outside of the chicken skin and inside of the carcass).

Because I work A LOT, i generally don't have the free time to cook entire birds in their natural form. This isn't that big of a deal - I've found that by cutting the spine out of the bird I can open the carcass and spread it over onion, carrot and celery, giving it more flavor and reducing the cook time. Don't forget: that spine isn't trash; it's an important ingredient in your next stock so throw it in the freezer with the tips of the wings and any veg scraps.

I put the bird in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then threw the brussels sprouts in the same roasting pan as the bird for the last 25. The preparation for the sprouts was simple, but as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to eat them. With these bitter little guys you want to use a pairing knife to cut off the brown bottom stems then cut them in half length-wise. Throw all of those soldiers into a bowl of cold water to clean them, strain the water, then toss them in EV olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper and balsamic vinegar (balsamic is the star of the show). When you roast them, the sugars in the balsamic enter front and center and really highlight the deliciousness of this otherwise jerk of a veg. Carey used to hate brussels sprouts and now she looks forward to eating them. Like I said, it's a crowd pleaser.

Tonight's dinner is one we've had dozens of times - it's simple, healthy and delicious. This is probably the best meal so far to highlight one of my key cooking theories: you cannot change flavors, only influence them to play well together.