I am long overdue for a visit to the parents and instead of the normal "take the parents to dinner", I am preparing a dinner and bringing it over. Tonight is Italian Night...
I have decided to recreate a dish that my mother used to make for us. It is extremeIy easy and perfect for a dinner party or get together. I have seen the dish named many things but I am gonna call it Italian Chicken and Sausage Roast. The basic ingredients are chicken, italian sausage, and potatoes. These are roasted in spice/herb infused olive oil. You can add any other item that roast well including carrots, onions, eggplant, artichokes etc.
You might ask why this recipe is posted in a New Orleans themed cooking blog. New Orleans has a very large populations of Italians (Sicilians) so Italian food is very much part of the New Orleans food scene.
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs fingerling potatoes (could use small red potatoes)
6-8 cloves peeled garlic
2 medium yellow onions halved or quartered.
4 chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks w/skin. Dark meat works best... but you could use one whole cut up chicken.
1 lb. Fresh Italian sausage (i like spicy italian sausage but any type of italian sausage works)
2 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning (or Rosemary, Basil and Thyme)
6 oz olive oil
Combine olive oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Coat potatoes, chicken, garlic, onions with oil mixture. Add sausage and mix together, and pour the mixture in a roasting pan.
Set the Oven on Roast @ 425 degrees and Roast for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 375 degree and cook for another 45 minutes.
Serve with bed for dipping and a drier red wine like a chianti.
