One-Pan Oven-Roasted Chicken

Now, this famous chef and food pers'nality may be diff'runt things to people, but nobody can doubt that 'e knows what 'e's talkin' 'bout, I reck'n, havin' bin behind the stove f'r years an' countin'. So when 'e put up a video of an oven-roasted curry chik'n, I felt compell'd t'try something similar.

An' I ended up w' sumthin' tot'lly diff'runt.

So I got sev'ral chic'n drumsticks, yea, and marinated it for 'bout an 'our wi' sum curry powder, a li'l salt, a li'l black pepper, sum cookin' oil, sum chilli powder and a pinch or two ov' minced garlic.

While that's marinatin', I sliced up an onion, a couple of p'tatuhs (skins on), minced sev'ral tiny cloves o' garlic and rubbed it all t'gethuh with the same thing I marinated th' chik'n with. I threw sum unpeeled garlic cloves into the pan wi' all th' veg'tables so they roast up nice 'n easy in th' oven, then laid the marinat'd drumsticks on top.

Luv'ly-jubbly.

I popped th' tray into th' oven pre'eated at about 160°C, le' it cook f'rabout 45 minutes and turned up th' heat to almost 190°C for a ten-minute duration, t' let the skin crisp up a bit more.

But b'fore that, I tossed a li'l water into the pan, so's th' bott'm won't burn and, 'opef'lly, get it steamin' a bit so things won't get too dry in there.

Th' r'sults?

Look a' that. Beeyoutif'l.

'Course, ev'rythin's beeyoutif'l when you're 'ungry. Bu' I like t' think there 're other reasons.

Th' drumsticks turned out well: crispy outside, tender inside. Not too salty, either. If I'd taken few'r pictures wi' me phone, I'd've sum'thin warmer and juicier too. Th' p'tatuhs didn't seem cooked all the way, not sof'nough, so I reck'n I should've cut 'em up a bi' smaller.

Th' onion was good, all gooey and sticky from th' sauce at th' bott'm of th' pan. A couple o' garlic cloves were a bit burnt on one side, but th' rest were okay.

'S been a while since I made anything wi' th' oven, so it feels good t' whip up a nice dinn'r on me own. But maybe next time I'll do it wi' the yog'urt and turmeric powder. B't then pe'ple might go, "Al, wha' you doin'? You're not in bloody Essex or even California! Y'got no bis'nus usin' turmeric POWDER when you c'n get 'nuff of th' fresh root f'r 'bout thirty pence!"

Yea, well, turmeric root's also hard to manage wit'out good 'ardware and I want sum'thin I c'n spread easily and evenly on th' chick'n, which is hard 'cus dry-ish marinades don't tend t' stick too well on meats wit'out sum'thin claggy 'n thick t' keep 'em there.

So, f'r a sor'-of-quick dinner: chick'n, p'tatuhs, addition'l veg or two, aromatics an' a rubdown wi' your fav'rut 'erbs or spices, bish-bash-bosh, into th' oven.

'Appy days.

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I'm aware that these days a certain food celebrity doesn't talk (much) like that, but I wanted to do this anyway. The seed for this was planted years ago when I was challenged (forgot by who) to write a whole piece this way. It was hard. Might even be unnatural and disparaging of said celebrity.

But before I started dabbling with food, much of what I knew about cooking and stuff was informed by the shows made by him and his ilk. And the accent added flavour to his show, like its a herb or spice - which is why I still remember a few bits, even though it's been years, maybe a decade.

I'd like to think that all the years of watching food shows eventually gave me the push to do my own experimenting in the kitchen - and take the steps to trim my dependency on hired professionals and take charge of my own diet. If I am going to drench my mashed potatoes in cream and butter, at least I'll know exactly how much.