When it comes to flavor, say yes to bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Chicken breasts often get a bad rap for their dryness and lack of flavor. Leaving the bones and skin on the breast helps to solve this problem. Not only do the bones add flavor to the meat while it cooks, but they help to distribute the heat, which prevents the meat from drying out. The skin also helps to keep the meat moist and tender by sealing in the juices; and, besides, who doesn’t like crispy skin?

This dish takes the ease of sheet pan cooking and upends it, literally, on top of a salad. Chicken breasts, fingerling potatoes and lemon wedges are jumbled together on one pan for a simple tray bake. Once roasted, the ingredients are arranged over a bed of escarole leaves, while the collected cooking juices from the chicken and lemon dress and slightly wilt the salad leaves for a casual and homey meal.

Warm Chicken and Fingerling Salad With Escarole

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 4

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Kosher salt

4 large split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, each about 10 to 12 ounces

1 pound fingerling potatoes, thickly sliced crosswise, about 3/4-inch thick

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large untreated lemon, washed, cut into 6 wedges

1 large head escarole, leaves rinsed and dried

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil, the garlic, lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Rub the oil mixture all over the chicken and between the skin and breast meat.

Place the potatoes in a bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Arrange the chicken skin side up on a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment. Scatter the potatoes and lemon wedges around the chicken.

Transfer to the oven and roast until the chicken and potatoes are golden brown and cooked through (the internal temperature of the chicken should register 165 degrees), about 40 minutes.

Remove and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Carve the chicken off the breast bones and thickly slice crosswise, about 1/2-inch thick.

While the chicken is resting, place the escarole in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and toss to coat. Spread the leaves on a serving platter.

Arrange the chicken over the escarole. Scatter the potatoes around the chicken. Drizzle any pan juices over the chicken and potatoes. Squeeze the juice of 1 to 2 lemon wedges over the salad. Serve with the remaining wedges.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

It takes a bitter green to tackle a cold day. Bitter winter chicories are a salad’s response to the season. Chicories are leafy "greens" that include the likes of radicchio and Treviso, endive and escarole, frisee and puntarelle -- all of which are notably not-so-green, but rather streaked in purples and reds or cast in icy whites and yellow-tinged celadon. These are the frigid-weather soldiers that thrive in a leafy salad bowl, inviting equally hardy and robust compatriots to join the mix.

Crunchy nuts, puckery fruit, briny olives and sharp onions are excellent team players in a chicory salad. They face and complement the bitter greens, with each ingredient standing shoulder to shoulder, in balance and not overpowering the salad. Call it a mutual salad treaty.

This salad is bright and fruity, with bitter and sweet notes. It’s a lovely, uplifting wintery salad that is refreshing and satisfying. Orange is the key citrus, fully incorporated with its zest and segments scattered throughout the salad, which is coated in an orange-infused vinaigrette. Crispy, juicy fennel slices accompany the leaves, adding cool anise notes, while the chopped fronds provide a frizzy aromatic lift. Citrus-soaked shallots streak the salad, punctuated by briny green olives and toasty roasted almonds.

Normally, chicories can handle rich and sharp dressings, smacking with balsamic and thick with mustard. This dressing, however, is more discreet, like a practiced facilitator; it’s a dignified mix of sherry vinegar, orange juice and olive oil that purposely enhances the individual flavors and textural combination of the bowl ingredients. This is a mutually successful salad, allowing each ingredient to shine and bond together to combat any winter fatigue.

Chicory Salad With Fennel and Orange

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 35 to 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced, about 1/4 cup

4 tablespoons fresh orange juice, divided

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 navel orange

1 small fennel bulb

1 small head radicchio, cored, leaves torn into bite-size pieces

1 small head frisee, leaves torn into bite-size pieces

1 to 2 endives, ends trimmed, leaves cut into bite-size pieces

8 to 10 pitted green olives, such as Castelvetrano, halved

1/4 cup raw almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped, divided

Combine the shallot and 2 tablespoons orange juice in a small bowl. Stir to coat. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice with the vinegar, orange zest, salt and black pepper. Drizzle in the oil, whisking to emulsify.

Supreme the orange: With a sharp paring knife, cut away the skin and white pith. Using the tip of the knife, cut each segment away from the membrane; discard the membrane and place the segments in a bowl.

Remove the stalks from the fennel bulb. Halve the bulb lengthwise and thinly slice. Pull off and reserve the fennel fronds from the stalks.

Combine the radicchio, frisee and endives in a bowl. Add the shallots, orange segments, sliced fennel bulb, olives and half of the almonds and gently toss with half of the dressing, adding more dressing to your taste. Sprinkle the remaining almonds over the salad and garnish with the fennel fronds.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

Citrus rules in the winter, and lemons are king (or queen). This recipe embraces the lemon in a simple yet sumptuous dessert. A "fool" is a British dessert, traditionally prepared with custard and pureed fruit. Whipped cream is often substituted for the custard in popular variations.

Fools are a wonderful way to showcase seasonal fruit. In the spring and summer, berries, such as strawberries and raspberries, are mashed and folded into the cream. In the winter, citrus takes center stage in the form of a curd.

A fruit curd is a thick spread or sauce made with fruit, eggs, butter and sugar. A good curd is bright and puckery, so any fruits with a little zing or tartness, such as lemons, oranges, grapefruit and passion fruit are great contenders.

This fool is a billowy trifecta of whipped cream, Meyer lemon curd and crumbled meringue, unabashedly folded together and layered into a glass, parfait-style. The brilliant yellow curd ripples through the cream, providing a jolt of sweet and tangy citrus. Consider it a little sunshine in a glass.

Meyer lemons are at their peak in the winter months. They are brighter, sweeter and less acidic than Eureka lemons, which are more commonly found year-round. Eureka lemons can be substituted for the Meyer lemons.

Meyer Lemon Fools

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time

Yield: Makes 6 servings; 1 1/2 cups lemon curd

Lemon Curd:

4 large egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup fresh Meyer (or Eureka) lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

2 ounces prepared or store-bought vanilla meringues, about 6 (2-inch) meringues

Meyer lemon slices for garnish

Fill the bottom of a double boiler with 1 to 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then lower the heat to a bare simmer.

In the bowl of the double boiler, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt. Place over the bottom of the double boiler and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the curd thickens and coats the back of the spoon (about the thickness of hollandaise sauce), 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until the butter melts before the next addition. Transfer the curd to a glass jar and place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 week).

Beat the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup curd and, using a spatula, gently fold into the cream, leaving some streaks of the curd visible. Crumble half of the meringues into the mixture.

Spoon a thin layer of remaining curd into the bottom of 6 (4- to 5-ounce) glasses or Mason jars and sprinkle a thin layer of crumbled meringues over the curd. Divide half of the cream between the glasses. Add a drizzle of lemon curd to each glass, then top with the remaining cream.

To serve, top each glass with a dab of lemon curd and a few pinches of crumbled meringues. Garnish with a lemon segment, if desired. Serve immediately.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood