Bye Bye Birdie

There is nothing more delectable than a whole roasted chicken. It's savory, it's well seasoned, it looks beautiful when served on a platter. The smell of it cooking in the kitchen is indescribable.

I have been craving a whole roasted chicken for some time now. I allowed myself to substitute the braised chicken with mushrooms the other day but somehow it didn't quite satisfy the "homeyness" that I was going for. Roasted chicken is one of the simplest things to make and in many ways, like the egg, the easiest way to identify a true chef.

Like it's offspring, the chicken seems to be fairly innocuous. But oh, the places you can go. Why is it that chicken has been the centerpiece at many an American dinner table? I'll tell you why. It's inexpensive, readily available, and most importantly, allows the cook to be a master of it's destiny.

There are many ways to prepare a whole bird. While brining is largely recommended because it seals in the juices, I find that brining is left best to the big birds like Thanksgiving turkeys. The mighty young chicken can be marinaded in a buttermilk bath, seasoned with simple salt and pepper, spiced up with exotic herbs or greased down in either butter or oil.

The reason I chose to prepare my poultry today in a simple marinade of cayenne pepper, fresh, coarsely chopped rosemary, salt, pepper, loads of garlic and butter was quite frankly because of time.

Today I spent all day cleaning. It was near a hundred degrees and was probably the last day that you would want to clean, or cook for that matter. But, I felt it was necessary to tidy the house so that the other days that I would come home from work I could enjoy a peaceful (and clean) sanctuary.

For that reason I wanted to find a quick recipe that would keep me out of the kitchen and away from the heat, while still satiating my need to provide my husband with a wholesome and iconic dinner.

With the bird properly dressed, baking away in the oven, turning a toasty brown, it was time to turn my attention to the veg. A sweet potato has been popped into the oven, protected by a coat of aluminum arms, the asparagus peeled at the tips and laid to cook with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of lemon rind.

Tonight we feast.