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Waldorf salad
PREP TIME15 mins
TOTAL TIME15 mins
SERVINGS4 servings

If using yogurt, omit the lemon juice. You may also want to add a little honey to balance the tartness of
the yogurt.

Some of our longtime readers prefer to omit the salt, but we like the way it offsets the sweetness of the
apples and grapes.

Ingredients

 6 tablespoons mayonnaise (or plain yogurt)

 1 tablespoon lemon juice
 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
 Pinch freshly ground black pepper
 2 sweet apples, cored and chopped
 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved, or 1/4 cup raisins
 1 cup thinly sliced celery
 1 cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
 Lettuce

Method

1. Make the dressing:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise (or

yogurt), lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Add the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts:

Stir the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts into the bowl with the
dressing.

2. Serve:

Spoon salad onto a bed of fresh lettuce and serve.

Cream of Spinach Soup

 PREP TIME15 mins
COOK TIME40 mins
TOTAL TIME55 mins
SERVINGS6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

 1 cup chopped onion

 2 tablespoons butter
 2 cups chopped fresh spinach, packed, or 1 (10 to 12-
ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
 3 medium potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 2-
inch chunks
 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
 1 1/2 cups water
 2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
 2 cups half and half
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 3/4 cup sour cream, plus more for serving, if you like
 Chopped chives, for garnish
 1 pinch ground allspice, for garnish

Method

1. Sauté the onion:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in butter for 4

minutes or until translucent.

2. Build the soup:

Add potatoes, chicken broth, water, and bouillon cubes. Bring to a

boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until
the potatoes are tender.

Add spinach and cook for 2 to 4 minutes longer until spinach is

tender.

3. Purée the soup and add the half and half:

Working in batches, purée soup mixture in a blender. Return to

saucepan. Whisk in half and half, salt, and pepper.

4. Whisk in the sour cream:

Over low heat, bring to just before simmering. Whisk in the sour
cream. You may want to use an immersion blender to get the sour
cream fully incorporated.

This soup can be served hot or chilled. Garnish with chopped

chives, sprinkles of allspice, or a dollop of sour cream.

Roast Chicken with Vegetables

PREP TIME25 mins
COOK TIME70 mins
RESTING20 mins
TOTAL TIME115 mins
SERVINGS4 servings

What Keller recommends (and what we do) is to leave the chicken in the refrigerator, uncovered (on a
plate and not touching anything else in the fridge), for 1-2 days after buying it, so that the skin gets a bit
dried out. It will roast up crispier this way.

Then 1 1/2 to 2 hours before it goes in the oven, we put it on a plate on the kitchen counter to come to
room temp (about 70 degrees).

Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken before you set it out to come to room temp.
(Save for stock.)

Note that Keller's original recipe calls for a leek (to be cooked with the root vegetables), which we skip
in our adaptation.

The chicken must be at room temperature before it goes in the oven, or the chicken will not cook evenly.

Ingredients

 1 (4 to 4 1/2) pound chicken

 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
 6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled (smash with the side of
a chef's knife, makes it easier to peel)
 6 sprigs thyme
 3 medium rutabagas, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1/4-inch
wedges
 2 medium turnips, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1/4-inch
wedges
 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch segments
 1 small yellow onion, peeled, roots trimmed but kept intact,
cut into quarters
 8 small red-skinned new potatoes
 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature (spreadable)
 Method

1. Let the chicken come to room temperature:

The chicken must be at room temperature before it goes in the

oven, or the chicken will not cook evenly.

2. Preheat the oven:

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

3. Cut away the wishbone:

Use a paring knife to cut away the wishbone from the neck/breast
area of the chicken. You will probably have to use your fingers to
feel around for it.

This is a little bit tricky, but if you can remove the wishbone first,
it will make the chicken easier to carve after it is cooked. (This
ease of future carving is the only reason to take the bone out, so
you can leave it in if you want.)

4. Season the cavity:

Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Add three of the garlic cloves and the sprigs of thyme to the
cavity, using your hands to rub the thyme and garlic all around the
cavity.

5. Truss the chicken:

Cut a 3-foot section of cotton kitchen string. Place the chicken so

that it is breast up, and the legs pointing toward you. Tuck the
wing tips under the chicken. Wrap the string under the neck end of
the bird, pulling the string ends up over the breast, toward you,
plumping up the breast.

Then cross the string under the breast (above the cavity and
between the legs). Wrap each end around the closest leg end, and
tie tightly so that the legs come together.

6. Toss the vegetables with olive oil:

Place the vegetables, onions, garlic, and remaining thyme sprig

into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and toss with your hands until
well coated. Season generously with salt and pepper.
 Create a bed of the root vegetables in a large cast iron pan (or use
a regular roasting pan if you don't have a cast iron pan.) My father
likes to leave out the potatoes at this stage and arrange them
around the chicken.

7. Slather the chicken with oil and season:

Spread the remaining olive oil over the chicken skin. Season with
salt and pepper.

8. Place the chicken in skillet:

Place the chicken on the bed of vegetables. Slather the top of the
chicken breasts with butter. (Note that we added some extra
sprigs of thyme to the top, probably because my dad forgot to add
them to the vegetables! But it still worked.)

9. Roast in the oven:

Place the pan in the oven and roast the chicken for 25 minutes at
475°F. Then reduce the heat to 400°F and roast for an additional 45
minutes, or until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F on
a meat thermometer and the juices run clear.

10. Cover and let rest on cutting board:

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil

and let rest for 20 minutes before carving to serve.

You can keep the vegetables warm by keeping them in the now-
turned-off oven while the chicken is resting. Stir to coat the
vegetables with the cooking juices before serving.