Lazy #1

I don’t understand people who can’t cook or who claim that they have no time or energy to make delicious meals. Making complex, labor-intensive dishes is a lot of fun, but I can’t find the motivation every day. So I, like most cooks, have a repertoire of things to make when I feel lazy. None of these are dishes that will shock or awe anybody, but lazy dishes often make for some great eating (and hopefully some decent photos). Everybody has a favorite lazy dinner: my mother likes to make clean-the-refrigerator stir-fry. Some people throw together macaroni and cheese, some make omelets, some just grilled cheese, but this time I made my go-to lazy dinner.

Roasted Chicken Bits With Veggies
Forward this post to your idiot roommate, son, cousin, boy/girlfriend who eats the poison that comes out of boxes, cans, and shrink wrap. Why a person would ever pretend like that’s food when real food is so easy to make baffles me.

Step 1: Put some vegetables into an ovenproof pan. I used a cast-iron skillet and filled it with chunks of carrots, onions, and potatoes, but I’ve also made this with winter squash, turnips, whole cherry tomatoes, chunks of apple, summer squash, and many other oven-worthy vegetables.

Step 2: Take a chicken leg (or three), rinse it, dry it, and roll it around in some oil and whatever spices you want. I used salt, pepper, paprika, and some cracked mustard seed. Then put your chicken leg skin side up on top of the veggies.

Step 3: Squeeze some lemon over the top, and add 1/2 cup of liquid to the pan. I used chicken stock, but beer, wine, juice, and water have all worked in the past. Then put the pan into a 500 degree oven and go do something else for 40 minutes.

Done.