From the Oven to the Table: Simple dishes that look after themselves

Product Information

What I've found with the recipes I've tried is that you prep the ingredients, get them in a pan, stick them in the oven, and voila! I probably wouldn't do the harissa yoghurt again unless I was serving it with roast butternut or something that would really be enhanced by it. Excellent photography, but a lot of it dark and moody (think fall and winter) with rough boards and primitive knives and forks and hearty dark meats and fruits. Definitely will make again, and will add more nduja because it’s the main seasoning and it’s a great flavor.

On page 142, de says that you have to use “exactly the size of dish stipulated “, but NEVER actually tells you the SIZE. I also love the similar MC recipe so add a leek to the veg here, as well as carrots/whatever root veg is languishing.The saltiness of the sauce really complemented the sweet potatoes, giving them a bit of a glaze but without adding more sweetness to them, and the chicken was very moist and succulent.

I don't see what was gained by separating the fillets so next time I'll put them all together in a baking dish.When I first tasted this I felt it was bland and disappointing but I must have underseasoned it, as a good grind of salt and pepper really improved it. But as I say, to choose just one recipe is not the perfect state of affairs: there will be many people getting From the Oven to Table: Simple Dishes that Look After Themselves as a present from me this Christmas.

I made this recipe again this week and think I figured out why I and many others had issues with the marinade/sauce. I think I’ve made every chicken thigh recipe in the chapter she’s dedicated to them - all easy winners! Although she says the sage butter is optional I would say do it if possible as it adds an extra dimension. Instead of uncovering in the last 45 mins, I kept covered until the end of the oven time then removed the lamb and veg; I then put the pot on the hob and reduced the sauce that way.

I gave the veggies a 20 minute head start in the oven before adding the chicken thighs and they all finished at the same time. The orzo was tasty with lots of fresh herbs (parsley, oregano and basil) but with a dry measure of 1 1/4 cups, there is a LOT of it leftover. Mine didn’t and just stayed stubbornly on top of the chicken so I scraped it off into the bottom of the pan. I cut my small waxy potatoes (Noirmoutier) into quarters and there was no problem with them cooking in time (I did give the dish an extra 10 minutes because the chicken thighs were huge).