This almost one-pot dish is so quick and simple, you will be bowled over by how tasty it is! This budget friendly meal came together using what I had on hand at the time and it leaves nothing to be desired. The chicken is moist and flavorful and the skin is crispy and out of this world delicious. The potatoes are creamy and crunchy, the leeks, garlic and wine make beautiful music together. I made this dish with diced fennel and swapping chicken for pork loin and it was incredible as well. Give it a try!

Equipment:
Cutting Board/Knife
Wooden spoon
Medium stock pot
Cast Iron Skillet
Bonus: Calibrated thermometer

Ingredients:
1lb small low starch potatoes only cut if needed to make all similarly sized
2T Neutral oil
1 large leek, sliced*
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/4-1/2 cup dry white wine
3ish lb. chicken spatchcocked*
2-3T Bacon fat*
Salt and pepper to taste
1tsp dried thyme

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 450*. Starting in cold, salted water in a medium pot cook your potatoes until there is no resistance when poked with a knife. Drain. One by one smash each potato with the heel of your hand. (You can place them between two layers of parchment if they are sticking to the board or your hand.)
2. In the cast iron pan place 2T neutral oil then place a single layer of smashed potatoes. (If your pan is too small to fit all of the potatoes save the extra for your breakfast tomorrow or you can take a little extra bacon fat and a small sauté pan and cook them until crisp on the stove top, season with salt when done.) Cover potatoes with leeks and garlic. Add the wine.
3. Rub the bacon fat over the chicken with your hands. Season with salt, pepper and thyme and place on top of the leeks. Cook in 450* oven until 160* internal temp and juices run clear (about 40 min.).
4. Remove chicken to a cutting board to rest and allow to reach 165*, stir the potatoes and leeks and place back in the oven until chicken is ready. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve/enjoy! Serves 4, no leftovers!

If you are swapping pork loin, the temp should be 375*. Cook for 25 minutes, flip and cook 25 more minutes. It should be 140-145* at this point. Remove the pork, put the pan/veggies back in the oven and set the temp to 400* for 10 more minutes. Then in a very hot pan sear the meat on all sides and set on a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes while you finish cooking the vegetables. After 10 minutes put the pork back on top of the veggies and heat to all together for 5 minutes. Yum! The family was moaning as they were eating this!

*Don’t be intimidated by Spatchcocking, just pull out those kitchen scissors or a really sharp knife and cut down each side of the spine. Wrap the spine tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for your next chicken stock. Place the bird opened on it’s back and press down hard on the breastbone to flatten it. This will make the chicken cook more quickly and evenly. If you really don’t want to spatchcock, just leave it whole, tie it up and cook it a little longer. We will all end up at 165* with moist deliciousness.

*When prepping leeks, give it an initial rinse. Cut off the green tops, clean thoroughly, let dry and wrap tightly in plastic wrap to save for your next stock prep. Slice your leek whites as called for in recipe, then clean thoroughly under cold running water or soak in cold water to remove all of the dirt that can grow between layers.

*Never throw away bacon fat! When you are done cooking bacon, strain the fat and store it in the fridge for times like these. Bacon fat is cooks gold! If you don’t eat bacon you can use a bit of the neutral oil and butter in it’s place.

Let me know if you try this and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!