Early January Things
This week’s newsletter and recipe is dedicated to my friend Tim Snow who passed away on Sunday. Tim and I originally connected through my newsletter. He was always the first to comment with something supportive and funny. I was able to meet him in San Francisco in person on my book tour in 2022, where he brought a crew of his good friends who were equally as lovely. Tim always made me feel special and as though we'd been friends forever. I spoke with him on Saturday before he passed and he enthusiastically chatted about how much he loved my recipe for “A Dirty Bird” (AKA Potato Chip Chicken) from Colu Cooks the book. He also shared that he liked to serve it on a platter he found at an estate sale. My kind of guy. In his honor, I thought it would be nice to share the recipe again with you all. It’s appears at the bottom.
It’s been a slow crawl to kicking off the new year over here. Our dear friends, Michael and Caroline, who we haven’t seen in over six years (!) popped into town last week for a very overdue visit, which extended holiday celebrations. And this past weekend brought our first real snow storm, which meant even more reasons to stay festive. Dan and Helen had us over for Beef Udon and we stayed the night. It was Sugo’s first snow and it turns out he LOVES romping through it and it was a joy to watch. I also spent a good amount of time in the kitchen, and now that my beans are on their regular soaking schedule again and my pantry is fully reorganized, it feels that this is truly my first week of 2024, and I still plan on taking things slowly. January is a good month for being quiet and introspective.
My dear friend Laura picks a word each new year in lieu of resolutions, a tradition which I have also adopted. In 2024 mine is "more.” I don’t mean “more” in a capitalistic way, I mean it in a spirited one, such as spontaneously saying yes to things “more” frequently, reading “more,” speaking my mind “more,” listening, “more,” telling people I love them, “more.” You understand.
Do you have a word? I’d love to hear it.
🥃 Drinking:
Amaro and Soda. Michael ordered one after our insanely good meal at Rivertown Tavern and I've been making them at home ever since. I start by filling a rocks glass with ice and add in 2 ounces of amaro - I like Faccia Bruto - and top it with soda water and a good squeeze of lemon. From there, I just keep adding soda water to my glass (maybe a tiny bit more of the amaro, not much) so it keeps me from overindulging. It is equally a great start to the evening as it is to the end of one.
📚 Reading:
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I know I’m a little late to the game here, but I finally picked up this gem and tucked in with Sugo all day on Sunday to read it. From Bookshop.org: “In the spring of 2020, Lara's three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.” It’s a beauty.
⚔️ Learning:
Briscola! Another fun takeaway from our visit with M&C. It’s an Italian card game with it’s own, special, gorgeous deck. I can’t tell you much just yet, but we did play a few rounds after a few wines and it was a lot of fun. Chad hates card games and enthusiastically played this one… I’ll need to do some refreshing on the rules. Any Briscola players out there?
A Dirty Bird
(AKA Potato Chip Chicken)
This is the brainchild of my husband, Chad. You may know him from his famous garlic bread recipe in Back Pocket Pasta. As he knows, I loved cornflake chicken and Shake ’n Bake as a kid, much to my mother’s dismay. This version gives a nod to my childhood nostalgia, with some upgrades. Yes, I’m asking you to cover your chicken with potato chips and butter, along with some smoked paprika and brown sugar to really take it there, and I promise you it does. The chicken stays very juicy on the inside and gets crunchy on the outside. I love this chicken. Serve it with a cabbage slaw and some roasted potatoes (yes, more carbs) and, whatever you do, make sure to scrape up the brown bits, extra crisped in the schmaltz, that have formed on the bottom of the sheet pan and steal them for yourself. Otherwise, you’ll be fighting over them at the table.
SERVES 4
TIME 1 hour and 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken (3 ½ to 4 pounds/1.6 to 1.8 kg) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces (140 g)barbecue potato chips, such as the Kettle brand
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Season your bird well with salt and pepper, inside and out, and place it on a nonstick sheet pan or one that is lined with parchment.
In a food processor, pulse the potato chips until they resemble a coarse crumb. Add the butter, smoked paprika, and the sugar to the processor and pulse again to combine. The crumbs should be pretty fine at this point.
Gently press the potato chip crumbs all over the surface of the chicken so it is evenly coated. Roast in the preheated oven until a thermometer registers 165°F (74°C), about 1 ½ hours, rotating once or twice halfway through to ensure even browning. Allow the bird to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Carve, plate, delight.
With “more” love than usual,
Colu
Briscola Cards forever!
So sorry to hear about your friend Colu! Sending love