So yesterday I revealed my updated and healthier version of a favorite hole in the wall dish, lemon-caper chicken. As promised, here are the two easiest side dishes ever. Even the most celebrated cook would think you took hours mashing these potatoes!

Recipe:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, washed and partially peeled

roasted garlic

1/2 cup milk, heated

To roast garlic:

Peel away paper skins from a whole head of garlic. Cut off the pointed top, place on a sheet of foil (root side down), drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil making sure oil covers the exposed cloves. Close foil to make a loose pouch and place on cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, until garlic is tender and cloves easily squeeze out.

For potatoes:

Place whole potatoes in large pot and fill with cold water, just enough to cover the potatoes. Bring water and potatoes to boil and let cook for 35-40 minutes. The potatoes will become tender and break apart when they are done. Drain the water, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.

Mash potatoes with a potato masher or fork, add warm milk, 3 -4 roasted garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste. Continue mashing until desired consistency. If you like a creamier mashed potato add a little more milk. To keep warm place over a low heat and stir frequently so potatoes don’t stick to the pan.

For asparagus:

1 lb asparagus

olive oil

salt and pepper

lemon zest

Wash and trim asparagus spears and let dry on a paper towel. Place prepped asparagus of a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with olive oil.

Spray asparagus with olive oil spray or drizzle a little olive oil over asparagus, toss the asparagus to make they are coated evenly. Season with salt and pepper then top with fresh lemon zest to taste.

Place in a 425 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes:

The leftover roasted garlic is great spread on warm bread or rolls in place of butter. You can even use it in a pasta dish.

This is my favorite way to eat asparagus, I took note from the Barefoot Contessa on this one. Roasting vegetables makes them so flavorful and really easy to prepare.

Here’s a trick for trimming the asparagus, hold a each end and gently bend the asparagus spear, it will naturally break off its stem.

I love to stumble across hole in the wall restaurants, that’s usually where you find the best food. I have two very favorites, one is a roadside joint outside of Austin, Texas that serves the best burgers on homemade sourdough rolls. The second is The Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Florida. For those of you who vacation here, your probably thinking that this is no hole in the wall because in the summer the wait is 2 hours or more for a table.

But The Red Bar does a hole in wall right. A simple 5 item menu presented on a chalkboard, only cash is accepted and you feel like you’re in a psychedelic den from the 60′s. My favorite dish is the panned chicken, of course that means fried and covered with a buttery sauce – here’s my take with out the psychadelic den.

Recipe:

1 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced or pounded to about 1/4″ thick

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

flour for dredging

1 1/2 cups + 1/4 cup chicken broth, low-sodium

1 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp capers, drained

1 tbsp butter

juice of 1 lemon

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour. Place chicken in hot oil, cooking for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth to pan to deglaze, stirring up all the bits from the bottom. Let reduce for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, mix cornstarch and 1/4 chicken broth in a small bowl. Add to reduced chicken stock and stir until sauce is thickened.

Add juice of one lemon, capers and stir of butter. Add chicken back to pan and let simmer in sauce for about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

If you prefer the sauce to be thinner, just add a little more chicken broth.

Notes:

I usually serve this dish with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and oven-roasted asparagus but the chicken is also good over a whole grain pasta.

Stay tuned tomorrow and I fill you in on how to make the mashed potatoes and asparagus.