In the kitchen
Two Chickens, and Whoever Comes
Twelve for dinner, decided that morning. Two roast chickens, crispy potatoes, broccolini with chile and garlic, and a jar of vinaigrette.
Last week I had twelve people for dinner, and I decided to do it that morning.
It was our last night in Sag Harbor, so I spent most of the day packing. I shot out a text to our closest friends: tonight I’m making two chickens, smashed potatoes, broccolini with chili and garlic and a big bitter leaf salad, all welcome, no pressure.
I ordered some shrimp and cocktail sauce (a first), a bag of lemons, the chickens, Yukon Golds, endive, radicchio, shallots and green olives. I had a hunk of sourdough from my farewell croissant run that morning. Then I went out to the garden, hopping from one friendly surface to the next to keep my bare feet off the gravel, for thyme and rosemary and the last of the parsley, dill, chives and scallions from a garden that was so good to us all summer.
The table, at leisure
I set the table slowly, with the speckled green plates I bought a few summers ago from a lovely old man in Italy, who was so pleased with how many I bought that he shut his shop and took me for espresso and cake. We stood at the counter completely unable to communicate except for smiles and laughter. Several weeks later all my boxes arrived, and we’ve kept in touch.
Big old hurricanes, soft blue napkins, wicker placemats, the good hand-painted glasses, the everyday silver, and a smattering of my favorite votives with fresh tea lights.
The kitchen, less so
As easy as it is for me to lay a table, I’ll admit that I’m a bit chaotic in the kitchen. My husband often marvels at the damage I can do, even on a weeknight for two.
An hour before everyone was due, half the pots and pans I own were splayed across the island, there was parsley and chopped onion on the floor and stuck to the bottom of my foot, and I was still in the shirt I’d been wearing all day. The “A bit behind…” text went out to the group chat. I took a deep breath, put on Van Morrison radio, and cleared the counter.
Onto it went a bowl of olives, a bowl of potato chips, hunks of parmesan from the fridge, wine glasses, a bottle of cold white, tons of votives, and the shrimp on ice. Cocktail napkins, little plates. Then I sprinted upstairs, drew a quick bath, slipped into black jeans, a L’Agence top and silky mules, and came back down just as the doorbell rang. The kitchen, admittedly, smelled amazing.
“It’s like a scene from Better Homes and Gardens in here. Is it always like this?”
Someone put a drink in my hand, I pulled the chickens out of the oven (golden, bang on time) and left them to rest on the stovetop. My friends brought friends, and one of them said exactly that as they piled into the kitchen. My girlfriend smiled and nodded from across the island. If you know me, you know I take that as the highest form of flattery.
I’d planned dinner for 7:45 and we sat down at 8:30, ish. We sat on kitchen stools and drank wine and caught up first. And then we ate, with blankets on our laps and the smell of a neighbor’s first fire drifting across the garden, and finished with a homemade dessert a friend brought, possibly the best part of the meal.
The menu
Shrimp on ice, olives, potato chips and parmesan at the counter. Two roast chickens on carrots, fennel and onion. Crispy roast potatoes. Butter lettuce with herbs, shallot and lots of parmesan. Broccolini with chile and garlic. Torn sourdough with olive oil. Cold white wine. Whatever your friends bring for pudding.
Everything below is for twelve, or for six with leftovers you will be glad of. The chickens, potatoes and broccolini share one hot oven, in shifts.
The recipe
Shrimp on ice
Not cooking at all, which is the point. Buy them cooked and peeled.
- Serves
- 12, with the olives and chips
- Takes
- 10 minutes
You need
- 2 lb cooked, peeled shrimp, tails on
- Plenty of ice, crushed if you can
- 1 jar cocktail sauce, or ketchup sharpened with horseradish and lemon
- 3 lemons, cut into slivers
Then
- IceFill a wide bowl or platter with crushed ice. Lay the shrimp over it and scatter a little more ice on top.
- ServePut the cocktail sauce in a small bowl in the middle and tuck the lemon slivers all around. Set it on the counter with cocktail napkins and little plates.
The recipe
Two chickens on carrots, fennel and onion
The vegetables underneath catch everything and become a side of their own.
- Serves
- 8 to 12
- Oven
- 425°F
- Roast
- About 1¼ hours, plus 15 minutes’ rest
You need
- 2 chickens, about 4 lb each
- 6 carrots, halved lengthways
- 2 fennel bulbs, cut into wedges
- 2 onions, cut into wedges
- 1 head of garlic, halved across the middle
- 2 lemons, halved
- A bunch thyme, and a few sprigs of rosemary
- Olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper
Then
- Salt earlyIf you can, salt the chickens all over in the morning and leave them uncovered in the fridge. Take them out an hour before roasting.
- FillHeat the oven to 425°F. Tuck half the garlic, a lemon and some thyme inside each chicken.
- VegetablesToss the carrots, fennel and onion with olive oil and salt in a large roasting pan (or two), and set the chickens on top.
- RoastRub the chickens with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 1¼ hours, until the skin is deep golden and the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
- RestRest them on the stovetop for 15 minutes while you finish everything else. Carve, and serve on the vegetables with the pan juices spooned over.
The recipe
Crispy roast potatoes
Boiled first, then roasted hard in plenty of olive oil.
- Serves
- 12
- Oven
- 425°F, after the chickens come out
- Ahead
- Boil them in the afternoon
You need
- 5 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- About ¾ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and flaky salt
- A few sprigs rosemary (optional)
Then
- BoilPut the potatoes in cold, well-salted water, bring to a boil and cook until just tender at the edges, about 10 minutes. Drain well and let them steam dry, then shake them in the colander to rough them up.
- RoastSpread them out on two sheet pans with the oil and a good amount of salt. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, turning once, until crisp and deeply golden. They can go in while the chickens finish and stay in while they rest.
- FinishFlaky salt as they come out.
The recipe
Broccolini with chile and garlic
A whole clove or two in the pan, and a little garlic powder too. It works.
- Serves
- 12
- Oven
- 425°F, 12 to 15 minutes
You need
- 4 bunches broccolini, ends trimmed
- 6 garlic cloves, left whole and lightly smashed
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp chile flakes, or more
- Olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper
Then
- TossToss the broccolini on a sheet pan with a good glug of olive oil, the garlic cloves, garlic powder, chile flakes, salt and pepper.
- RoastRoast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the stems are tender and the tips are crisp and a little charred. Do it while the chickens rest.
The recipe
Butter lettuce with herbs and parmesan, and the jar in the fridge
Make the vinaigrette on Sunday and keep it all week. It makes every dinner feel half done already.
- Serves
- 12
- Vinaigrette
- Keeps a week in the fridge
You need
- 1 small shallot, very finely chopped, for the jar
- 1 big spoonful Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 9 tbsp olive oil
- A good pinch of salt
- 4 heads butter lettuce, leaves separated
- A handful each parsley and dill leaves
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced, for the salad
- Lots parmesan, finely grated
- 1 avocado, sliced
Then
- The jarPut the chopped shallot, mustard, vinegar and salt in a jar and let it sit for five minutes while you find the olive oil. Add the oil, close the lid and shake it like you mean it.
- The saladWash and dry the leaves and keep them cold. Just before dinner, toss the lettuce, herbs and sliced shallot with enough vinaigrette to coat. Grate over a great deal of parmesan, and tuck in the avocado.
- AfterwardsIt is also very good on a cold potato, eaten standing at the counter after everyone has gone home. And if you have no jar, lemon, olive oil and salt is the universal dressing (thanks, Mom).
The recipe
Torn sourdough
The simplest thing on the table, and it goes first.
- Serves
- 12
- Oven
- 5 minutes, as the oven cools
You need
- 1 big sourdough loaf
- Good olive oil and flaky salt
Then
- TearTear the loaf into big rough pieces with your hands.
- WarmPut them in the switched-off oven for 5 minutes, then pile into a basket or onto a board. Pour olive oil into a shallow dish, scatter it with flaky salt, and put it out alongside.
All welcome, no pressure.
