Can you believe I’m actually posting a recipe? I know, I realize I’ve been posting much more about my vacations than actual recipes lately. I’m happy to report that I’ll be cooking much more in the foreseeable future – summer is over and I’m hunkering down for Fall days at home on Mendenhall Street. If you are a dwindling fan (I know they are out there), please come back!

Last week was a hard adjustment to the real world after returning home from sunny California to a very damp and humid North Carolina. I walked into my office this morning and my coworker said “I feel moldy.” I couldn’t agree with her more. I spent the weekend in total hibernation and crawled out of my house yesterday with the realization that my house was a total mess – snuggie thrown across my sofa, red wine and coffee stains on the white desk next to my bed, dishes in the sink, laundry in the dryer and an tossed-up unmade bed. Those weather guys are reporting sunshine and cooler weather later in the week. I’m furiously cleaning in anticipation of sunshine – and my mother’s 9 friends who are coming for dinner on Thursday night (more the latter).

In between naps and trips to the coffee machine, I did make my favorite rainy day comfort food – a roasted chicken. I improvised on my family’s recipe and added potatoes and mushrooms to the cast iron pan it roasted in. I tried this once mbefore and wasn’t terribly satisfied with the potatoes – they were greasy from the chicken. Somehow I perfected it this time. I won’t lie, parts of the chicken were eaten straight from the pan.

This is by no means scientific. Once you learn how to roast a chicken – just experiment, I find it pretty hard to mess up.

Cast Iron Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Mushrooms

• 1 3 lb organic chicken
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 1 head garlic, cut in half
• 1 pint, or so, fingerling potatoes cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
• 1 pint cremini mushrooms
• 2 springs thyme
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse chicken, pat dry and place into a cast iron skillet. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with lemon and garlic (if there is too much lemon and garlic – just allow them to roast at the bottom of the pan…the garlic will be amazing!). Using your fingers, create space between the chicken breast and the skin. Rub about a tablespoon of butter under the skin of each chicken breast. Rub the remaining butter on top of the bird. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Throw potatoes, thyme and chicken broth into the bottom of the pan. Roast for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes goes by, toss the mushrooms in with the potatoes (if the potatoes arent browning, add a tiny splash of olive oil). You may want to toss them around a bit. Roast for another 45 minutes until chicken is brown and potatoes and mushrooms are tender. Taste the potatoes and mushrooms for any additional seasoning. Enjoy!