Dishwasher’s Holiday

Whether that dishwasher is a person, or an appliance, little matter. Making a complete dinner that cooks up in one tray is sure to save on dirty dishes now and on work later. That’s the beauty of Chicken Traybake, a concoction in which, as the name suggests, poultry, a side, and a sauce for both all bake together in the same vessel, a shallow pan. Garnish with generous amounts of leafy parsley, and you have the beginnings of a salad too. Pretty efficient, that tray.

The meal’s full title is, Garlicky Spiced Chicken and Potato Traybake with Pomegranate Molasses, and Milk Street described its progress in the May/June 2020 issue. Here is an element of Palestinian cuisine, as cookbook author Reem Kassis prepares it. Sure, most cuisines feature some kind of meal bringing together chicken and a starch, but coriander, cardamom and, above all, pomegranate molasses, give this dish a uniquely Levantine flair.

Everything is seasoned with the above ingredients, as well as a host of other, more prosaic, supplements, and is baked together in a tray. Thus, the potatoes absorb the chicken’s essence as both cook, and the sauce marinating the pair lends an evocative identity. Here’s the assembly awaiting the heat:

What emerges from the oven is nicely and subtly crisped. Still, the bird is juicy on the inside and the potatoes’ interiors are soft and fluffy. In other words, all is cooked beautifully. The attributes only begin there. What really makes this special is the flavor. The molasses gives the ingredients a mildly fruity lilt with playfully tart overtones. Meanwhile, the cinnamon, cardamom and coriander lend an ethereal finish.

Oh, let’s not forget the sauce. After the poultry and tubers are removed to a serving platter, the drippings and the garlic remain on the tray. The oven’s heat has done wonders, turning the bulb into a paste, mild in flavor. The garlic is mashed and is mixed with the juices and a little water, forming an rich-tasting gravy of sorts, which is drizzled back over its one-time companions.

Key to the flavor of all is pomegranate molasses, still rather unfamiliar in many quarters, but a common ingredient in Near Eastern kitchens. Its beautiful balance of tartness and sweetness goes a long way to recommending it, suggesting the obscurity may not last:

What requires no additional clarification, though, is the delightful scarcity of dishes in the sink afterwards. Really, a meal this delicious should be much more trouble to prepare, right? Yet the sink refuses to fill. If you’re among those eating you already are delighted. If you’re tasked with cleaning up afterwards, the good news keeps on coming. The culinary term for this phenomenon, apparently, is “Win-Win.”

*****

Garlicky Spiced Chicken and Potato Traybake with Pomegranate Molasses

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses, plus more to serve (*1)
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, trimmed and patted dry
• 1-and-1/2 pounds medium red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into wedges (*2)
• 8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve

In a large bowl, stir together the oil, molasses, allspice, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, 4 tablespoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the chicken and the potatoes, then toss to coat. Set aside at room temperature while the oven heats.

Heat the oven to 450° with a rack in the middle position. Place the garlic cloves in the middle of a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the chicken parts, skin up, around the garlic.  Arrange the potatoes evenly around the chicken.

Roast 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes and chicken are deeply browned, but haven’t burnt.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken and potatoes to a platter, leaving the garlic on the baking sheet.  With a fork, mash the garlic until relatively smooth.  Pour 1/4 cup water onto the baking sheet, then use a spoon to scrape up the browned bits.  Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary, then pour over the chicken and potatoes.  Drizzle with additional pomegranate molasses and sprinkle generously with parsley.

NOTES:

1 – If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, substitute 1 teaspoon each of honey and lemon juice.

2 – If the potatoes are medium, quartering them into wedges will be perfect.  If the spuds are larger, it may be necessary to cut each potato into more than four pieces.  The goal is to have each wedge be about 1-and-1/2 inches thick.

Advertisement