Good morning. I’m just spitballing here, but I bet the use of the word “spatchcocking” — which describes the business of cutting the backbone out of a bird and flattening the remaining body into a pan so that it roasts more quickly and evenly — peaks around Thanksgiving, at least in America. A spatchcocked turkey is a marvelous thing.
But the term is British in origin, and it relates generally to chickens or game birds. A spatchcocked chicken (above) makes for a fantastic meal, one that comes together in a fraction of the time it takes to roast a whole one.
Don’t be nervous if you’ve never de-backboned and roasted a chicken. Sohla El-Waylly has a neat new recipe, part of her new Cooking 101 series, that will walk you through the remarkably simple butchery and all that follows. If you don’t have time to dry brine the bird overnight, that’s just fine. Even a couple of hours under salt will yield a bird that’s juicy beneath its crisp, burnished skin.
Featured Recipe
Spatchcock Roast Chicken
That will be dinner tonight for me, alongside some lemony puréed potatoes and sautéed peas.
As for the rest of the week. …
Monday
I love Melissa Clark’s recipe for crispy tofu with balsamic tomatoes for its deliciousness, yes, but also for how she roasts the tofu in the oven with a mixture of cornstarch and olive oil that leaves it crackly and golden-brown without the mess of deep-frying on the stovetop. On the other side of the sheet pan: cherry tomatoes, blistered in more oil and the sweet acidity of balsamic vinegar. Toss everything together and serve over quinoa.
Tuesday
There’s not much better than a wintertime scallop, and I like mine sautéed in butter to create a nice crust on one side before flipping it for a few seconds to warm through the other. (If there are no scallops in your neck of the woods, Julia Moskin uses a similar technique for any fillet of fish.) That’s great served over a bed of baby arugula, with some torn baguette for starch.
Wednesday
Naz Deravian’s take on the classic Japanese stir-fry known as yaki udon is a weeknight winner, rich and salty-sweet. I like mine with ground pork, but beef, chicken or turkey would work nicely as well, as would crumbled firm tofu.
Thursday
Kay Chun’s recipe for bean and cheese burritos is built on a vegetarian version of refried beans, which might usually be made with lard or bacon fat. What makes the burritos exemplary, I think, is how she pan-fries the tortilla packets at the end, which delivers a terrifically crisp exterior and a filling that oozes with melted cheese.
Friday
And then you can welcome the weekend with a treat: Tanya Sichynsky’s recipe for hot dogs with pico de gallo. Tanya generally grills her dogs, but this time of year you can take them on a run under the broiler, or simply cook them in a skillet slicked with oil so that they tighten and come close to bursting in the heat. Will I apply a dollop of queso to each hot dog before topping with the pico de gallo? Rabbit, I might.
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Now, it’s a far cry from anything to do with marjoram or mace, but you should absolutely read Lizzy Goodman on the band boygenius, in The New York Times Magazine.
I spent some happy hours with Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcel, rereading James Lee Burke’s 2000 novel, “Purple Cane Road.” He’s known for violence and hurt, but no one writes weather better than Burke.
My colleague Tina Jordan is a brave spelunker in the cavernous archive of The New York Times Book Review. Last week she returned with an accounting of a 1903 best seller, Mary Augusta Ward’s “Lady Rose’s Daughter.” It’s a joy to read.
Finally, Ween: “Buckingham Green,” music for spatchcocking. I’ll return next week.
