Lemony Chicken Thighs with Scalloped Red Potatoes

Planning dinner by defrosting chicken thighs, mixing the marinade for brussel spouts, and inspecting the red potatoes.

I wanted to make something with chicken tonight, so I took out a couple of packages of thighs to defrost. Then I found this recipe on Pinterest from another blogger, Alejandra. It looks like a lemon chicken dish I had made before, but check out her blog. It looks great.. 
http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2013/12/crispy-roasted-lemon-chicken-thighs.html
Her dish was paired with a potato gratin, and I remembered I had some red potatoes in the pantry that had come in our SLO Veg box almost 2 weeks ago. I love scalloped potatoes, so that is what I will make for this dinner. I also had a basket of brussel sprouts that need to be eaten, because I just read that we are getting some more brussel sprouts in this week's delivery.

Crispy Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs
 Serves 4, multiply as necessary

Ingredients
8 bone-in chicken thighs
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice and zest of 2 large lemons
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
kosher salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons red chile flakes (optional)

For garnish:
1 bunch rosemary, cut into 4-inch pieces
1 large lemon, thinly sliced 

Directions
Pat chicken thighs very dry, then place in bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and zest, minced garlic, and mustard. Pour over chicken and season generously with kosher salt, black pepper, and red chile flakes. Cover and marinate in fridge at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange chicken, skin side up in a roasting pan. Tuck in slices of lemon and rosemary sprigs. Roast uncovered 40 minutes, or until skin is golden and crispy and chicken is cooked through.

Sauced and ready to bake chicken thighs

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Alejandra suggested serving the chicken with gratin potatoes, and I just happened to have some red potatoes from SLO Veg to use in this scalloped potato casserole. I think the red potatoes will cook faster than russets, so we'll see. I will use canned evaporated milk instead of heavy cream, because, well, I have it on hand. Might add some rosemary and garlic in here, too.

Scalloped Potato Gratin

Servings: 4-6  Level: Easy
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Butter
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and
  cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg. While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

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I still have a basket of brussel sprouts to use up before our next tote box arrives. This recipe from SLO Veg's collection looked really good and gives me a chance to use some of the turmeric spice that I hear is so good for your health. Winner-winner!

Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts  

Servings: 6  Level:  Easy  Prep/Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients: 
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup chicken stock 
1 fresh bay leaf 
1/2 red onion, chopped 
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon turmeric 
2 tubs Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons celery salt
Black pepper 

Directions: In a skillet, combine vinegar, honey and stock with a whisk. Stir in bay, onion, pepper, mustard seed and turmeric, stir and bring to a boil. Trim the Brussels sprouts and halve them. Add to stock mixture and season with celery salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, uncover and cook 5 minutes more.  

Timing wise, I put the chicken in the oven at 6 p.m., then sliced the potatoes and layered them in the casserole dish and covered it with the heated milk and herb-spice mixture. That went into the oven at 6:10 p.m. Next I halved the brussel sprouts and put them in about 6:15 p.m. The sprout recipe had a sauce to put on them, but I wanted them to roast with just olive oil for about 15 minutes.  At 6:30 p.m. I spoured the marinade on top of the brussel sprouts and let it all cook for another 20 minutes, 3 casserole dishes in the oven at once. Then chicken was on the top shelf, with the potatoes and brussel sprouts side-by-side on the bottom shelf. When I took it all out at 6:50 p.m., everything was done to perfection and ready to serve.

The finished plate: brussel sprouts, lemony chicken and scalloped potatoes.