Roasted Chicken with Kale & Potatoes

You can buy whole chicken legs.  Not the nice, tidy drum sticks or thighs that come pre-skinned and de-boned, but the whole leg.  They're actually quite nasty to deal with.  But I was not fazed.  I was cooking a roast, and the pictures looked pretty.

... And the recipe came from a pretentious "Food and Wine" magazine.  What could go wrong?

INGREDIENTS


1 1/2 pounds tender, young kale, stems and inner ribs removed (and Wegman's failed me... and mislabled the green onion-y things as kale.  So I used the onion-y things as well as spinach.  Close enough.)
1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used red... pota-toh, pata-toh, right?)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced 
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
8 whole chicken legs (about 10 ounces each) 
1 teaspoon paprika 
Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450°. In a very large roasting pan, toss the kale, potatoes and onion with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread in an even layer.
Set the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down. Slice halfway through the joint between the drumsticks and thighs. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the paprika and set on top of the vegetables.

Cover the pan with foil. Roast the chicken in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and roast for 30 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Transfer the chicken to plates and spoon the vegetables alongside. Serve with lemon wedges.

VERDICT

Sometimes you have a recipe that you don't have much hope for.  The kind where the ingredient list is small and looks unflavorful.  Then you get a surprise when it turns out excellent.

This was kind of the opposite.  Salt, pepper and paprika do not a flavorful dinner make.

And "fresh, young kale?"  You're a pompous ass, Food & Wine Magazine.

I know there is room for improvement here, I'm just not sure where to start.  We'll have to revisit this recipe later in the winter.  I have to.  I still have four whole chicken legs left.