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PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN
     
     
Roast a large bird in order to have leftovers for another meal. Think beyond a cold drumstick for lunch, and consider turning the meat into a salad or casserole.
Don’t discard the carcass from the roast chicken. It can be made into an excellent stock. Saute ¼ cup each chopped onion, celery, and carrot in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add the carcass, broken up into manageable pieces, and add enough cold water to cover. (If your chicken came with giblets, reserve the neck, heart, and gizzard—but not the liver—and add them to the pot.) Bring to a simmer, skim off any foam from the surface, and add ¼ teaspoon dried thyme and ½ bay leaf. Simmer for a couple of hours, then strain.
The chicken will roast more evenly if allowed to stand at room temperature for an hour or two to lose its chill from the refrigerator. A rinse under lukewarm water will also gently warm up the poultry.
Rendered chicken fat promotes a beautifully browned bird. If the fat has been removed from the tail area of your chicken, substitute 2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter for the rendered fat. The milk solids in the butter will encourage browning better than olive or vegetable oil.
Turning the bird to expose the skin on all sides to the oven heat also makes a picture-perfect chicken with crackling skin. If you don’t have time to do this, you’ll still have delicious chicken, even if the back skin is a little wan.
Don’t be afraid of the relatively high oven temperature. It will make the chicken splatter, but cleaning the oven is worth the trade-off for a great chicken. You won’t get the same results if you chicken out and reduce the temperature to 350°F.
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    Roasted Salmon on Spicy Lentils
    Makes 4 servings
    Rich salmon can hold its own against bold seasonings. Here, roasted fillets are served on lentils with a blend of southwestern spices. Roasting lightly caramelizes the top of the salmon to deepen the flavor. Small, dark olive green lentilles de Puy have a brighter color than the typical brown lentils, and cook in less time, too. You find them at natural food stores and gourmet shops.
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S PICY L ENTILS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup seeded and finely diced red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup green French lentils ( lentilles de Puy ), rinsed and sorted over for stones
2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or use canned low-sodium broth
½ teaspoon salt
     
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the baking sheet
1½ pounds center-cut salmon fillet with skin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1. To make the lentils, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chili powder, cumin, and coriander, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the lentils, then the stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, stir in the salt.
2. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet.
3. Lightly oil the salmon flesh and season with salt and pepper. Place the salmon on the baking sheet, skin side down. Cut the salmon vertically into 4 serving portions, but do not separate the pieces. Roast until the salmon shows the barest sign of pink when pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes.
4. Divide the lentils evenly among 4 soup bowls. Top each with a portion of the salmon, and serve hot.

 
     
    Cod with Grapefruit, Avocado, and Fennel Salad
    Makes 4 servings
    This light and refreshing dish puts me in mind of long weekends in Florida or some other tropical