It is rare that I will come home from work in the middle of the week and actually cook dinner.  Usually, I will eat a salad, a wedge of cheese, or something I prepared over the weekend.  Last night, I actually came home and cooked a real meal.  

I bought a chicken from the farmer’s market (sustainable, local, organic, free range) and brined it over night so it was ready for me when I came home.  I took a variety of fresh herbs, rosemary, thyme, dill, bay leaves and some garlic and lined the bottom of a large copper roasting pan.   I coated the halved bird in salt, black pepper and paprika, and baked it.



When it finished cooking, I made a quick pan sauce from the gravy using arrow root and homemade chicken sauce.   I served the whole thing with a mesculin green salad, a slice of multigrain bread (from a local baker — using local ingredients) and a side of Russian beet salad that I bought in Brighton Beach last week while visiting my mom.






I am proud to say that almost all my ingredients (except for maybe the sea salt and the dried sweet paprika) came from within 100 miles of my home.