mon poulet roti:

It would only be fair for Thomas Keller to own a restaurant in Chicago. Between French Laundry and Bouchon(s) on the West Coast and Per Se on the East Coast, it's just not fair that the Mid West doesn't get a little taste of Keller in the flesh. Who am I kidding, not that I could afford to frequent the restaurant, but, nonetheless, it would still be comforting to have him in my city to celebrate special occasions. Lucky for me one of my closest girlfriends just sent me Kellers' Simple Roast Chicken recipe. I thought it was a joke when she told me that the only ingredients involved were chicken, salt and pepper. I had no idea that it was so easy!

Simple Roast Chicken (Thomas Keller via Bouchon)
Ingredients
One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken. (I bought a free range organic chicken at my Whole Foods, which just happened to be on sale this week)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425-450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it VERY well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.Remove the wish bone. Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss (click on the video above if you've never done this) the bird.

Salt the chicken (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper. Season with thyme if you wish.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and put the chicken in the oven. Don't baste it, don't add butter. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the twine.

Now EAT THE MEAT!

I think brussels sprouts go well with anything these days, so I roasted them with olive oil, vinaigrette and garlic. I added some quinoa to the mix and viola! A simple, weekday dinner.