Herby Chicken with Onion-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Let’s be real for a minute.

Before Easter, it was Lent.  Quarantine was manageable.  It was a sacrifice and I could tell the kids (and myself) how Jesus sacrificed for other and how we can do the same by staying home.    We weren’t thrilled about it, but having a connection to our faith made it tolerable.

Then Easter came.  We had to rejoice Jesus’ resurrection on TV.  We had to visit family via video chat.  Easter should be joyous.

But it wasn’t the same.  And it was tough.

The kids were sad that they didn’t get to visit their grandparents.  I was sad we couldn’t go to church.  We’re all frustrated that we’re still at home.  Oh, and it snowed again.  Frustrating.

But this is reality for the time being.  Hopefully life resumes to normal sooner rather than later, but everything is still unknown.

So, I decided that I needed to challenge.  Something besides work and the kids’ schedule to focus on and give me purpose.

As I was taping my last read aloud lesson, I pulled a stack up books to prop up my computer.  It was a stack of cookbooks.  Cookbooks that I’ve cooked from, about 1 recipe each.

And there I had my challenge.  I’ve been focusing on comfort food lately.  I need to give myself a culinary challenge, so I am going to try to cook a new recipe from my stack of cookbooks at least once a week (maybe more!)

And (hopefully), I’ll post them in a timely manner!

So let’s get started with the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook.

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Wizards and Non-Wizards Alike by Dinah Bucholz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun cookbook for Harry Potter fans (even muggles!)

View all my reviews

This one was gifted to me, as I am a huge Harry Potter fan.  Plus, I just started rereading the series out loud to my kids!

I started flipping through the book, keeping my mind on ingredients I had on hand (no more last minute grocery store runs for the foreseeable future!) and decided to make a roast chicken and potatoes.

It is a recipe the book imagines could have been served by Mrs. Weasley at the Burrow.  It makes sense to me.  Mrs. Weasley was always cooking for a crowd and it seems likely that she’d make some big time comfort food!

This recipe was a hit and I can’t wait to try more from this cookbook and others!

Herby Roast Chicken and Onion-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Recipe from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cook Book

Herby Chicken

1 small onion, sliced

1 whole chicken

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon dried sage

¼ teaspoon dried basil

Salt & pepper

½ cup water

Onion-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 ¼ pound potatoes, diced

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ - ½ cup milk

Salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.   Place the onions in the bottom of a baking dish.  Mix together the softened butter, garlic, and herbs.  Place the chicken in the baking dish on top of the onions. 

Gently loosen the skin of the chicken.  Rub the butter mixture both over and under the chicken skin.

Season the chicken with salt & pepper and add the water to the bottom of the baking dish.  Cover and bake for 50 minutes.

Rotate the pan, uncover, and increase heat to 425 degrees F.  Continue baking for another 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees F.

As the chicken cooks, prepare the potatoes.

Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to caramelize, reaching a deep amber color.  Toward the end of cooking, add the garlic, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water.  Cook for 20 minutes or until tender.  Drain and pour into a bowl.

Add the onion mixture to the potatoes.  Add the remaining butter and ¼ cup milk and mash by hand.  If the potatoes are too thick, add additional milk.  Season with salt and serve with the chicken.