The Pioneer Woman Cooks (50 page)

10. Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese.

11. Slice the green onions…

12. And add them to the bowl. Stir, taste, and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

13. Fill each potato half with the potato mixture and return to the baking sheet.

14. Top with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are hot.

Serve with Braised Beef Brisket (Sweets), Rib-Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce (Supper), or Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich (Dinner).

How now, brown cow?

FRIED CHICKEN

Makes 8 servings

Fried chicken, while universally adored, may very well be one of the hardest things to learn to cook. At least it was for me. The trickiest part of the process of frying chicken is getting the chicken adequately cooked without also burning the breading on the outside. Another tricky part is the breading on the outside. Do you simply dredge the chicken in flour? Do a complicated egg bath? Soak the chicken in a brine solution? Stand on your head? Walk a tightrope? Sometimes, take-out chicken just sounds easier.

Problem is, I live in the country. So I learned early on that if anyone was ever going to eat fried chicken, I had to make friends with it—but fast.

This relatively simple recipe calls for frying the chicken first, then finishing off the cooking process in the oven, where the breading won’t be in danger of burning as readily.

Note: In case the appetites in your household aren’t as enormous as those in mine, this recipe can easily be halved.

2 cut-up fryer chickens1 quart plus ¼ cup buttermilk (if you don’t have any, see In the Morning)5 cups all-purpose flour3 tablespoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s2 teaspoons black pepper2 teaspoons dried thyme2 teaspoons paprika1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)¼ cup milkCanola or vegetable oil for frying

1. Thoroughly rinse the chicken, then cover all the pieces with the quart of buttermilk and soak in the fridge overnight, or up to 24 hours. My mom always did it this way.

When you’re ready to fry the chicken, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, just to take off the chill.

2. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°F and mix up the breading:

Place the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, and cayenne (extra cayenne if you like heat) in a very large bowl. Stir together well.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and, with a pastry cutter or fork, gradually mix until there are little lumps throughout. This will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to the bowl in order to make it slightly lumpy.

4. Heat 1½ inches of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until a thermometer reaches 365ºF. Lower the heat slightly, if necessary, to keep the oil from getting hotter.