Roasted Chicken with Escarole & Sweet Potatoes

Right now I am canning 2 jars of fresh tomato chunks.

I will use them when I need fresh tomatoes and the store ones taste like cardboard.

When I do only 2 jars for canning I use my Pasta Pot. It is deep enough for pint jars and I can get 3 in there easily. I set the timer for 35 minutes and simmer away. If I was to pull out the regular canning pot, it would use too much water and take too long to come up to a boil. The big one holds 6 jars.

Each jar took 2 large tomatoes + their juices and I have 4 left-over. If I do not use them by the end of the week I will just can those. They aren't over-ripe yet. I still have a few days to decide what to do with them.



Braised escarole has to be one of my favorite greens. I love it with beans and in a soup and just sauteed with garlic and olive oil, salt & pepper.

When it is on sale it's a great bargain, but even this week it was only $1.69 a pound. Because it is not well known and liked by kids (it is bitter but not like broccoli de rabe) it tends to remain inexpensive and to me is a great little secret.

Chicken was on sale and I got this 4 pound roaster for $3.59.

I am not a fussy chicken person, I do not require the skin be crispy (not good for you anyway). I sometimes stuff the cavity, sometimes not.
Tonight I basted it with butter and sprinkled herbs de provence on it. Poured some chicken stock in the pan to keep it moist and roasted it for 1 hour at 425F and then 20 mins at 350F.

It was tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked. The breast was 170 when I removed it (The Nudge likes it well) but still juicy.

I might not take the best pictures but with a good chicken you just know it was good.

I roasted 2 small sweet potatoes with the chicken and I had bulgur (leftover from a stuffing I am making for later in the week).