Roast Chicken Legs over a Blue Cheese & Belgain Endive Salad

Roast Chicken Leg over Belgian Endive Salad. It’s a one plate wonder.
Some days you want to putter in the kitchen, some days its about making dinner in the least amount of time with the least amount of fuss, but still good enough that it’s a reward at the end of the day. Know what I mean?

It’s a one plate wonder.

Some days you want to putter in the kitchen, some days its
about making dinner in the least amount of time with the least amount of fuss,
but still good enough that it’s a reward at the end of the day. Know what I
mean?

OK, so most days its least fuss-muss and give me my reward. 

I get it. Try this.

Roast Chicken Legs
over a Blue Cheese & Belgain Endive Salad.

2 chicken legs with skin (could use chicken thighs, don’t
mention it to me if you use chicken breast, you can do it, just don’t tell me)
1 per person if they are big legs, 2 if they are little, 3 if your partner is a
bigger eater than you, do I need to go on or can you take it from here?

Salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, fennel pollen if you have
some

 2-3 small red potatoes per person, use same formula as above

 2-3 heads of Belgian endive (we like it a lot, we eat more
of than you probably would)

 1 nice chunk of blue cheese, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tsp of mustard,
olive oil, red wine vinegar

 Optional garnish: toasted walnuts or  almond slivers

 The Chicken

Arrange the legs in a roasting pan and liberally coat with
salt.  This is not a political
statement, just use a good amount of salt…it makes the skin crispy. Then sprinkle
on your herbs.  Add the cleaned,
unpeeled red potatoes to the roasting pan. Roast at 400F/204C for about an
hour, the skin should be brown, gorgeous, crispy and the juices clear.

Now, you may be asking yourself, what has she got against
chicken breasts? Frankly my dear, they usually taste remarkably like cardboard,
they are insipid, pale and bland. Chicken leg has character and a bone.

The Salad

In a mixing bowl big enough to hold the chopped endive,
crush 1 clove of garlic. I have a little wooden pestle that is handy for this
type of work, then add a nice chunk of your favorite blue cheese and mash that
all up with the blue cheese.  Add
about 2T of olive oil, 3/4T of red wine vinegar and 1 tsp of mustard and mix
well.

About 2 minutes before the chicken is done, chop the washed
Belgian endive, and toss in the bowl with the blue cheese dressing. If you use
bottled blue cheese dressing, seriously, do NOT mention it or I’ll go off on
one my bottled dressing rants.

Add the almond slivers, or walnut pieces or whatever rocks
your boat.

Arrange the salad on the plate, lay the lovely leggies on
top, add the spuds , nuts and go eat your dinner.  Clean up: 1 roasting pot, 1 bowl. You can handle it.