Chicken and Its Understudies

Every time I have friends over -- and on at least a weekly basis when I don't -- I roast a chicken. You don't really need a recipe for this other than sticking a chicken in the oven for an hour or two, until the leg joint wiggles freely when manipulated. (Even the oven temperature is obliging! I usually go with 400 so I can caramelize a few vegetables too, but I've done anything from 325 to 425 with no apparent ill effect.)

But, in case you're new to chicken roasting, you should first find a pan that is a bit larger, but not massively larger, than the chicken. Take your chicken, rub it with olive oil and coarse salt, and stick something up its hiney. I recommend one or more of:

An onion half
Garlic cloves, unpeeled
Half an orange, lemon, or two halves of a lime
Ginger root

The onions and garlic go very well together and also with lemon. Lime and ginger is nice, particularly if you're having Asian vegetables with it. I love lemon, orange, and chopped ginger as a stuffing; a little garlic doesn't go amiss there, either.

If you've been responsible for the deaths of too many chickens lately, something even lower-maintenance is:

Pot Roast for Lazy People
Take a good-sized chuck steak.* Slick with a drop of olive oil and sprinkle very lightly with salt and pepper. If desired, add chopped onion, garlic, and celery, and some red wine, to the roasting pan. Place in roasting dish; cover tightly. Cook in a slow oven -- 225 is my norm -- for six to eight hours.

[*A note on this: I don't go for huge portions of meat, but I'd nonetheless buy more than you think you'd need. This cooks down, and you don't want people to leave hungry. Also, you can shred any leftovers and use them for tacos. On the other hand, keep in mind that large crowds of people will eat less than they would at a small party. I've gone with about a half pound per adult eater in the past and this has usually not been too far off.]