Exhausted from vacation…aren’t they tiring? I had a chicken, I had leeks from my CSA, I have sage in the garden. That’s a meal right there!

1 whole chicken
3 leeks, chopped
1/4 cup butter (sliced into pats)
10-12 sage leaves (4 leaves chopped, leave the rest whole)
1-2 T chopped fresh thyme
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Place chopped leeks in the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish. Drop 6 pats of butter somewhat evenly around leeks. Place 6-8 sage leaves around on top of the leeks.

Put the chopped thyme and sage under the skin of the chicken breasts along with 2 pats of butter per breast. Salt the chicken inside and out, generously. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the whole chicken, breast side up, on top of the leeks.

Put in a 375° oven until internal temperature of the chicken (inserted into the thigh, not touching a bone) is 165°

Some of the leeks should get crunchy-crispy, some just soft and buttery.


Alongside the chicken I served bruschetta with a fava bean puree.

1 1/2 lbs fava beans (in-shell weight)
1 clove garlic
2T pecans
salt, pepper, olive oil
Good, hearty bread

Shuck those beans. Shuck? That’s what you do to beans right? Not just corn? Anyway, take the beans out of their pods. Blanch them for 2 minutes and then plunge them into ice water. Once they’re cool enough to handle, squeeze the favas out of their skins (if there is a split in the skin, they’ll pop right out). Add the beans, garlic, salt and nuts to a food processor. Puree. Add olive oil while it’s running until it’s the texture of pesto.

Spread on toasted, hearty, yummy bread. Grind a little pepper on top.