"Lay Off Me, I'm Starving!"

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CHICKEN-AND-PARSNIP-FRIES-WITH-SPICY-VINEGAR-241485

Between cocktail hour and Greek, dinner was looking bleak. It was 8:30 p.m. when Adam got home, grumpy dinner was not waiting for him.

"So," he grumbled, "Are we not eating dinner at home tonight?"

"No, no," I apologized, "Give me thirty minutes." I felt bad because I had promised to make dinner, so I rushed to the kitchen. Glad, when I picked up the knife, that I had declined that third raspberry champagne dream.

Seriously, this one was a winner. "Chicken and Parsnip "Fries" with Spicy Vinegar," courtesy of epicurious.com, and the fact that our CSA (community supported agriculture) box delivered parsnips. I didn't get home until late - I was dying to hear about Katie's date with someone from my office (fyi - he was a dud) - and of course when Adam came home twenty minutes later he was starving. So thank goodness this recipe is quick and easy .

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

The hardest part is cutting up the parsnips. To peel and quarter long-wise is no easy feat. (Once again, my knife skills are not so good.) But I did it with no major issues or bleeding. I think the hardest part was the first cut on some of the bigger ones. I ended up holding the skinny end to the cutting board, then I put my knife into the skinny end and dragged it toward me. I had to move my hand to the fat end to keep the cut straight, and tried to keep a steady hand. I am sure there is a better way to do it, but it was beyond me. ( I am still smarting from the butternut squash gash from the night before.) It is important that the parsnips are cut pretty thin; the crunchy ones are definitely the best. Toss those little guys into a baking pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them in the oven while you prep the chicken.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken thighs - chicken breasts seemed really big and the thighs were a much more manageable size. When the oil starts to smoke, lay the chicken, skin-side down, in the pan. (No cutting!) The skin will start to get super crispy and look like fried chicken...mmm, fried chicken. When it looks crispy and delicious skin-side, take it from the pan and put the chicken skin side up on top of the parsnips. Put it back in the oven for twenty minutes. (It's about this time that I hear, "hey, babe! Is dinner ready yet?!" come from the living room. It has been ten minutes.)

Using the pan that cooked the chicken - complete with rendered chicken fat and oil remnants. (I actually put too much oil in when I made it, so the sauce didn't come out totally perfect. I share so you do not make the same mistakes I did.) Add vinegar and red pepper flakes to pan. Bring to a boil and stir for thirty seconds. This sauce is my new favorite things - the acidity of the vinegar burns off and the heat of the red pepper flakes sneaks up on you.

When chicken and parsnips are done, pour vinegar sauce on top. Nothing but compliments from Complain-y McGee. Delish!