Shhhh..let's keep this amongst ourselves...

I know I said I was going to go cold turkey on the new cookbook addiction. I know. Well, I fell off the wagon. Head first, in a fill-your-amazon-shopping-cart-and-click-on-checkout-before-you-can-change-your-mind kind of way. In my defense, one of my new purchases was The Great American Slow Cooker Book. It spoke to me personally! I love my slow cooker, I think it's great, AND I'm American... well, kind of, half, sort-of. If that isn't justification, then I don't know what is! So please don't tell. Anyway, now that the pages are well and truly thumbed, the only way I can redeem myself (apart from clearing enough space in the cookbook cupboard so that I can stow it away before my husband notices), is to use it to such good effect that its purchase seems not only inevitable, and evidence of an out-of-control compulsion, but also most fortunate, given that the delicious food on our table owes its existence to the recipes therein.

The first recipe I tried from the new book (by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, incidentally) is indeed worthy of the moniker 'great'. It is also unexpected. By the scratch marks on the base and the number of times I lift it's huge bulk out of the drawer, I consider my slow cooker well used, but I had never, until now, even considered roasting a whole chicken in there. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I have to say, I will be doing this again. And soon. Not only is the chicken fall-off-the-bone delicious and moist, but it is also roasted on a bed of tomatoes and parsnips, which cook to perfection in the chicken juices, to produce an almost saucy garnish for the chicken. I served it alongside some roasted vegetables (recipe also below). Go on, oven-roasted chicken purists: venture into the unknown. It's a tasty place to be.

Roast Chicken with Parsnips and Tomatoes
Serves 5

1lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 2" segments
1/2 lb ripe cherry/grape tomatoes
4 fresh sprigs of rosemary
1 TBSP lemon pepper
1 tsp mild paprika
1 whole chicken (3.5-5lbs), skin on, any giblets/neck removed from cavity, and bird trussed

1. Arrange parsnips, tomatoes and rosemary in a layer at the bottom of a large slow cooker (6-8 quart capacity).
2. Mix lemon pepper and paprika together and rub all over the chicken, including inside the cavity. Set chicken on top of parsnip mixture in slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on High for 5-6 hours, depending on the size of the chicken. To see if it is done, use a meat thermometer to check that the temp inside the thickest part of the thigh is 165 degrees.
4. Unplug the cooker, uncover and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Transfer to a board to carve (it kind of falls apart at this point, so those in favor of neatly carved slices will be disappointed).
5. Discard the rosemary sprigs and serve the parsnips and tomatoes with the chicken.


Oven-roasted Mixed Vegetables with Lemon and Chives
original recipe from Cooking Light magazine
Serves 6-8

1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, halved
1 1/2 lbs fingerline potatoes, halved (or any other small potato in a contrasting color!)
1 lbs baby carrots, halved
2 medium onions, each cut into 8 wedges
1 TBSP olive oil
cooking spray
2 TBSP fresh snipped chives
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220C).
2. Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Arrange in a single layer on one large, or two smaller baking trays.

All ready for the oven

3. Bake for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned.
4. Combine vegetables with remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently to coat.