Mashed Potatoes and "Fried", Chicken, Baby!

Yes, that's right, I said fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Okay, maybe not really fried, you noticed the quotation marks, right? That's because it is possible to make crunchy chicken that is not horrible for you. Sure there is no juice oozing out of it (which is actually grease), but it can be tasty and moist and satisfy that craving. Start with boneless, skinless breasts ( I haven't tried it with anything but, so I don't know if other cuts will work). Macerate it by pounding it so that it's not uneven, but not completely flat. Then marinate it in low-fat buttermilk for as long as is convenient for you. All day would be great, so get it going in the morning before work or right when you get home, then get your potatoes boiling. The longer it marinates, the juicier it will be, but it doesn't have to be a two day affair. The acidity in the buttermilk helps break down the meat a little bit while "moisturizing" it. Okay, I'm no chemist and I didn't go to cooking school, so feel free to criticize my science, but I know lotion and that's the only description I could think of. We all know that chicken can dry out super fast, so soaking it in buttermilk does miraculous things to it. Then, instead of cornmeal or corn flakes or those canned bread crumbs, used panko which is so much crunchier and lighter and just better. You can pick those up at Culina.

A really hot oven is another key. Set conventional bake on 400 and convection on 375. Take your breasts out of the buttermilk mixture and after you've seasoned the crumbs with paprika, salt and pepper (and optionally some Victoria Taylor's Toasted Onion Herb and Tuscan Seasonings), dredge the chicken in the panko making sure they are coated fully. Spray them with a little olive oil and place them on an olive oil sprayed, Reynold's release foil-lined heavy baking sheet, the jelly roll kind. Bake them until they're nice and golden and some of the crumbs are browning to the point of almost burning. Next time I will time it, but it seemed to take 30-40 minutes. I made an extra breast, so when I thought they were close, I pulled one out and cut into it to make sure it was cooked through.

With the potatoes, I cooked them until the water was almost gone and then drained it off, but SAVE the water. It gets nice and starchy and works great for wetting the potatoes down when you reheat them. You can also add a bit of that water back to make them smooth if you're trying to cut down on butter and cream. You just want to cover the potatoes about an inch over them and boil them on high. I used homegrown potatoes, so it was a mixture of Yukon, German Butterball and some Desiree. Instead of cream, you can use half and half, a little of the low-fat buttermilk and real, unsalted butter. Hey, you've gotta do the good stuff, just not in huge quantities. I also use a bit of olive oil spread by Fleischmann's, but you can use straight olive oil in place of all of that if you'd like. Throw in some of the herb seasonings used in the chicken or anything you like. Tarragon is great in potatoes as is Rosemary, but not both together. Roasted garlic, greek seasoning, but Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt is my standby. Don't forget the pepper and I like to use a little grated parmesan in there.

Saute or steam up some really green veggies and there's your not so sinful meal, but it will feel like you've just indulged. Now there's room for some light vanilla ice cream with BR Kohn Chocolate Cabernet Sauce! Oh, and don't forget the vino.