The PERFECT Roast Chicken . . . and the LESS Than Perfect Roast Duck

It's another Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollum -- be sure to see what everyone else is cooking up this week. Or see what their "foodie disasters" were!
We love chicken -- cooked almost any way but we especially like it roasted. It's an easy meal to do and if the chicken is big enough it can serve a crowd. If it isn't, it is enough for the two of us with leftovers. (And is there anything better than a cold chicken leg before bed?)


It's easy to roast a chicken -- you take out anything that is inside (and this is a very important step), then you fill that inside with halves of a garlic bulb, lemons cut into quarters, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs. Rub the outside with olive oil and sprinkle rosemary or thyme and salt and pepper. Put in a pan, put in the oven a 425 oven and you're free for between an hour and an hour and a half (depending upon the size and weight of the chicken).

We often serve it with oven roasted potatoes and perhaps a salad of mixed baby greens with vinaigrette to round out the meal. A dessert to end the meal only if we have company. If we don't, we'll end the meal with a cup of espresso.

THE TALE OF THE DUCK
(My worst kitchen disaster)

In my early married years, I decided that since we had turkey at Thanksgiving that we should have something different for Christmas. Being an adventurous cook even then, I decided on duck a la orange. A very ambitious dish for a novice cook such as I.

The whole menu, in fact, (with the exception of dessert for I made a pumpkin pie) was "gourmet".

The table was perfection with good linens and the china and crystal and silver and a festive centerpiece. The dishes were brought to the table. We passed all the dishes and tasted . . .
and tested . . .

NONE of us liked anything! EVERYTHING was awful! The duck was terrible. (Not only was this my first time cooking duck -- it was my first time EATING duck). The "gourmet" sidedishes were awful (awful perhaps because the duck was really bad).

We left everything as is on the dining room table and went into the living room where I served pumpkin pie and coffee to everyone.

As we were enjoying the first food of Christmas that was edible, we heard a commotion in the dining room . . .

There on the table was the cat. She had jumped upon the table and lo and behold, there was this bountiful feast -- this bountiful feast just for her!

The dog on the floor was a bit unhappy -- a feast oh, so close, and yet, she was oh, so far away!

The cat attempted to get her mouth around the duck (which was almost as big as she) and she kept trying and pushing and trying and pushing and trying . . .

until the duck fell to the floor and into the mouth of a very surprised dog who didn't understand how come she got this bounty but was glad she did!

With duck in mouth, she headed off to the secret place that all dogs seem to go when confronted with more than they can consume immediately.

We laughed and cheered!

THAT duck would never again grace our table. I didn't have to worry about leftovers and we had plenty of pumpkin pie!