Sunday Dinner

This was a delightful combination and we loved the salad. It was light and refreshing. You really need two ovens to fix these items together.  The salad comes from the Washington Post and the Chicken is from Fine Cooking, Dec, and Jan. I divided the salad in half as it serves 6. The chicken was to serve 4, but was so delicious that it is gone.
Arugula and Roasted Squash Salad with Pears
This can be a side dish or an appetizer. You can dress it up with toasted nuts or make it a main course by adding chicken. I served it as a side to the chicken.
Ingredients:
1# butternut squash, cut into ¾” cubes
3T EVOO
2 medium (18 oz.) ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cut in half and cored. I did not peel. Plan ahead as the pears in the store are rarely ripe.
Salt
2T apple cider vinegar
2-3 t honey
Black pepper
5 oz. baby arugula
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.
2. Toss the butternut squash cubes with 1T EVOO and transfer to one side of the lined baking sheet. Place the pear halves, cut sides down on the other side. Sprinkle the pears and squash lightly with salt.
3. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until tender, stirring the squash pieces every 10-15 minutes. When pears and squash are tender, remove them from the oven. They may not be ready at the same time.
4. Transfer one of the roasted pear halves to a blender along with the remaining 2 T EVOO, vinegar, 2 t honey and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
5. Divide the arugula among individual plates. Top each portion with equal amounts of squash, and pears. Drizzle about 1 ½ T dressing over each dish. Top with a grind of pepper.
Yogurt-Marinated Roast Chicken
Again plan ahead as this has to be marinated over night. This marinade made the meat moist and flavorful. I often find the white meat dry; this wasn’t. The whole chicken was done at the same time. I often find that the breast is done and the thigh is not. Or the breast is done and the leg and wings are shoe leather.
Ingredients
1 – 4# chicken
2 C plain yogurt, I used Greek low fat
3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1/3 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
¼ C chopped fresh dill
1 T cracked black peppercorns
1 t finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Put the chicken on a cutting board breast side down. Use poultry she=hears to cut along both sides of the back bone; remove and save the backbone in the freezer for stock. I keep a plastic bag in the freezer and when it is full, I make stock. Flip the chicken over and flatten the breast slightly.
2. In a gallon-size resealable plastic bag items 2 through 8 plus 2 t salt. Add the chicken to the bag, seal and make sure the chicken is coated evenly. Set in a container and refrigerate overnight.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put it skin side up on a broiler pan or on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. I used a cooling rack and lined the pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the chicken uncovered until an instant read thermometer reads 170 degrees, 45-50 minutes.
5. Transfer to a carving board and loosely tent it with foil, let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
We enjoyed this meal very much.  Jim is on pain medication and therefore not drinking.  I had a Concannon Chardonnay.  Toast ot an old neighbor when we lived in CA.