My latest crush....Roasted Chicken and Michael Symon

I have a crush. A major crush. Usually my crushes, outside of my awesome boyfriend, are on a professional athlete. This time, it is a chef. Michael Symon. He is the Iron Chef, from The Chew and also has a show on The Cooking Channel (which my cable company doesn't carry..boo hoo). He is my friend on Facebook and I stalk him daily. There are many factors that make me adore this man. The first thing is he is a Midwesterner like me. Secondly, he oozes love when he talks about his wife which make him very appealing. Thirdly, he is hysterical and can laugh at himself and fourthly, this manly man can cook!

A few weeks ago I made Michael's mothers lasagna recipe. While it was good, my family asked me to continue making my lasagna vs. Michael's. I was surprised by this but also a big proud. I was tempted to brag about that directly on his facebook page but decided not to....so I just bragged about it on my own.

As many yummy things that I see Michael prepare, I still hadn't attempted anything else. I have been busy and didn't want to get mixed reviews again. Since he is my crush, I have huge expectations.

This past week was the new show, Symons Suppers on The Cooking Channel. My cable provider is a huge putz and doesn't offer it in its lineup (along with Versus but that is a whole different rant) so I have to do the next best thing and look up the shows recipes after they air online. It isn't as much fun as getting to watch him whilst drooling, but it gets the job done.

So on Friday, I couldn't wait to see what he made and was pleasantly surprised that it was a recipe for Roasted Chicken. That is Scot's favorite dish and we were supposed to get snow so I decided to make it for dinner on Saturday night.

It was incredible. It was roasted at a high temp so it was nice and juicy with a crisp skin. What made it was serving it on a bed of arugula with an incredible salsa verde sauce. Look how luscious and beautiful it looks. This is one sexy bird!

Luscious lemon and bay leaves under the skin gave it a bright, fresh flavor. Then the salsa verde....oh my goodness. It was luscious. I could eat it by the spoon!

Fresh, fresh flavors.

Michael Symons Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• One 4-to 5-pound chicken
• Kosher salt
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion, peeled
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salsa Verde, recipe follows

• Salsa Verde:
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 shallot, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

A day before cooking, rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water and pat dry. Salt liberally, cover and refrigerate.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Lift the skin off each chicken breast and wedge 3 lemon slices and 1 bay leaf between the skin and each breast. Put the garlic, onion, thyme and remaining lemon slices in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the entire chicken liberally with the olive oil. Put the chicken in an ovenproof saute pan or roasting pan breast-side up, slide it into the oven and roast until the thigh reaches 160 degrees F, or until the

cavity juices run clear, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, in a medium bowl, dress the arugula with the red wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. Cut the chicken into 8 pieces, drizzle with the Salsa Verde and serve with the arugula salad.

Salsa Verde

Combine the extra-virgin olive oil, parsley, capers, mint, red pepper flakes, anchovies, garlic, lemon zest and juice, jalapeno and shallots in a bowl and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow the flavors to meld for at least 15 minutes before serving; if planning to serve after more than an hour, add the lemon juice at the last minute to keep the color vibrant. Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

This was the perfect Saturday night meal with some small potatoes that i tossed with melted butter, garlic and shallots.

I followed the recipe exactly this time and really, there is nothing that I would change.

I am looking forward to my next attempt on a Michael recipe which I have planned for Monday night, a Greek Chicken with Cuke Salad.

As for the crush...Michael will have to take a back seat, for the next few days at least. My New England Patriots are playing for the AFC Championship tomorrow and I have a bigger crush on Wes Welker. If Michael starts catching TD passes from Brady...then he will be back in first place...until then, go Pats!

Bon Appetit!