potatoes

Today, I did not wake up in a cooking mood. However, I have to cook in order to fuel my body, have lunch for tomorrow, as well as dinner. So I opted to go the easy and “lazy” route…let the oven do the cooking.

It’s a simple recipe, but the star of this dish is the baked chicken and how I let it marinate at least for an hour in order to get the flavor I was looking for. Garlic and sage goes hand in hand when it comes to poultry.

INGREDIENTS:

For the chicken:

1 to 2 lbs of Chicken drumsticks or thighs

Dried sage

3 garlic cloves

Olive oil

Dried Italian herbs or oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

For the roasted potatoes:

10 butter potatoes chopped about 2 inches in size

Sweet paprika

Oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 lg red onion chopped in quarters

Green onions

Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a mortar mash the garlic until it is into a paste. Pour about 3 tbsp of Olive oil. Add the salt, pepper, dried oregano or Italian herbs, and dried sage and mix together. In a bowl place the rinsed chicken drumsticks or thighs and pour the marinade. Make sure the marinate is mixed well with the chicken. Cover it for an hour.

Preheat the oven at 300 degrees. Place the chicken on a cookie sheet and let it cook. Once it looks ready, raise the heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook until the skin is crispy.

One a cast iron skillet, place it on medium heat on the stove. Once it is hot, add olive oil and the potatoes. Season it with salt and pepper, sweet paprika, and Italian herbs. Mix it and allow it to get somewhat pan roasted. Add the chopped onions and mix well. Place it in the oven while the chicken continues to cook in the oven until the potatoes are crispy and roasted on the outside but soft on the inside.

Once both the chicken and the potatoes are cook, serve it and add some sliced green onions to the potatoes to add the fresh onion flavor.

Thanks to my oven, I was able to bum around the house and still be able to cook a delicious easy recipe. Cooking doesn’t have to be stressful but it can still be easy, simple, healthy and flavorful.

As a kid living in Puerto Rico, root vegetables can be found if you live in the country side. Often at my grandparents home, either my grandfather and father, or uncles would go to the area where these root vegetables would often grow. Every time there were root vegetables, there would always be bacalao (cod fish) or carne frita (fried pork). Just reminiscing as I type, it just takes me back to those days.

Many times, my mom would make cod fish salad for dinner. I’d have to say that like her cod fish salad there is no other. Don’t get me wrong, I like my cod fish salad too, but it’s always different when mom cooks. So in memory of my childhood, I decided to make this ensalada de bacalao (cod fish salad) with pan roasted potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs cod fish

6 medium white potatoes

3 sliced green onions

1/2 diced red onion

1 lg diced tomato or 3 Roma tomatoes

1/4 diced bell pepper

10 Spanish Olives

2 hard boiled eggs

Olive Oil

Water

White Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a pot bring water to boil, add salt, and the cod fish. Boil until cooked. Do not overcook as it will break into pieces and you want to have at least bite size. In a separate pot, add eggs, bring water to boil and add three diced potatoes. Do not over cook the potatoes or it will turn into mush. Remove both pots from the stove and drain the water.

Dice the red onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, and Spanish olives. Add into a bowl, pour olive oil. Once the cod fish and the potatoes are at room temperature, add to the boil and carefully mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the other three potatoes to about a 1/4″. Place in a pan, add about a cup of water, 1/2 cup of white vinegar and drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cover and cook in medium heat until the water and vinegar evaporates. Remove the lid, the oil will then cook the potatoes until crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Once fully cooked, serve with the cod fish salad.

“Food is fuel. Eat to live. Don’t eat to live.”

Tag: potatoes

Baked Chicken & Roasted Potatoes

Cod Fish Salad and Pan Roasted Potatoes