Sunday Home Cooking

My mom and I are big fans of the Food Network, and since I have had to take over the cooking responsibilities, the shows and recipes from the Food Network have greatly helped me develop my culinary skills!

Yesterday I made Pan Seared Chicken Breast with Herb Jus and Potato-Vegetable Hash, a recipe featured on the Food Network's "Worst Cooks In America" show, and it turned it out great for a first attempt. It was delicious and I would make it again! Plus we had fun tasting the new dish for the first time, the anticipation was high to see if everyone liked it, as we were unsure of what our tastebuds would think of potato-vegetable hash.

Below is the recipe, I did use Chicken Breasts instead of a chopping a whole chicken, and used jarred spices instead of fresh.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts, cut airline-style, tenderloins removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
Potato-Vegetable Hash, recipe follows
Directions
Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add the oil. Season both sides of chicken breast with salt and pepper, to taste. Sear the chicken, skin side down, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, flip the chicken, cover the pan and cook on second side for 7 to 8 minutes.

After second side has been cooked, add the wine, garlic, and herbs and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and allow it to rest.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Serve the chicken with Potato-Vegetable Hash and the pan sauce. Garnish with chives.

Potato Vegetable Hash:
1 Idaho potato
1 zucchini
1 squash
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon Cajun spice
Grapeseed oil
Salt

Using a box grater, shred the potato, zucchini and squash, and add them to a large bowl.

Stir in the onion, egg, flour, garlic, herbs, and Cajun spice. Blend well. Add more flour if mixture is too wet. The mixture should hold its shape when squeezed.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil. Portion the hash into 2 cakes, then gently put them in the pan. Cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is browned. Remove them from the pan to a paper towel and season with salt, to taste. Serve warm.


I certainly don't have time to cook gourmet meals each night, but I have decided that at least once a week we should try out a new recipe and have a restaurant quality meal at home. Since I began this new tradition on Sunday, I think I'll keep it on Sunday. And to begin this new tradition, I'll be trying recipes from "Worst Cooks In America" as the show is on Sunday Night, and we can look forward to what our meal will be all week!

Check back next week to see the outcome of the next recipe!