In the Kitchen With Mattie

Baked Wings and Potatoes

I have always loved chicken wings! Hubby on the other hand used to pick on me for eating them, he would tell me I was wasting my time trying to get enough meat off them to make a meal out of, they had no taste….etc, etc. He could go on and on about how he saw no reason to even bother with them, as far as he was concerned you should just throw them away. Fast forward and about 5 or so years ago I happened to have some wings from a roast chicken sitting on my plate and he grabbed one of them and proceeded to eat it ………………..all of a sudden he became a wing monster! Where I used to get all the wings that came attached to all the chickens in this house, now I have to fight to get my fair share. I settled that arguement by buying packs of just wings at Sams, they sell them in a large package that are packed 6 in each section, and each big pack has 8 sections in it so one of those last us a while. I use the wings when I am making stock too and then I also serve them just baked like we had tonight. I brine the wings in a salt water solution for about 4 hours before I put rub on them and let them sit for another hour, then I bake them at 375 for an hour and we sit and feast, and no arguements about who gets the wings anymore. I mix up a simple rub of a tablespoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paparika and one half tablespoon of oregano and parsley. I put the spices into our old coffee grinder and give them a whirl to mix them well then I add one teaspoon salt and a half teaspoon pepper, its a very simple rub but it goes good with the wings, they aren’t too spicy for me and yet they do have a bit of pepper for hubby. Rub the wings all over with the mixture and then let them sit for about 30 minutes to an hour to absorb some of the seasoning. Put them on a sheet pan and into the oven for an hour and then enjoy!

Taters

I don’t have a name for these taters, they aren’t a real augratin in a classic sense although they do have some cheese on top. Onions and potatoes are sliced on a mandoline into very thin slices after being peeled and then placed in concentric circles in this enameled cast iron pan that has been generously buttered.  A few dots of butter and salt and pepper are also put on the layers as the dish is being put together. When all the layering is finished the casserole is put over a low flame on the stove top and about 2 cups of chicken broth are poured over the potatoes, the pan is then covered and left to cook. Check them every few minutes and replenish the chicken stock if the potatoes look dry, they should be simmering and not boiling rapidly so lower the flame if you need to. When a knife enters the center of the dish with no resistance remove the cover from the pan and pour over 1/2 cup of heavy cream, place the pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes until the top is nicely browned, you can add some cheese to the top if you like, remove from the oven when the cheese is melted and browned if you are using it. Cut into wedges to serve. This is not a saucy potato dish as the potatoes soak up all the broth and cream and meld together with the onions. The trick to getting them to come out nicely is to really cut the ingredients VERY thinnly on a mandolin and have them just simmering on the stove top in the first part of the recipe so they don’t burn.

Wings

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