"Boscoe Cooks".....Simple Sunday Supper.....Chicken, Green Beans and Roasted Potatoes and Onions

As a kid, I used to dread Sundays.  It meant "getting dressed" and  going to church, doing homework and racing home for Sunday dinner around 3:00. As I got older,  the dinner ritual usually interfered with the "important" stuff I was doing, like playing football, tossing back a couple of beers with the guys while watching a game or working on cars. It also meant that you would be "throughly" cleaned up and present yourself at the dining room table looking thrilled to be there. The dinner was always formal. This meant it was "linen" everything, a zillion dishes and seemed to go on forever.  The truth of the matter was that it was usually a wonderful meal and a fitting way to end the week. When I graduated from college and moved away to New York City, Sunday afternoons took on a whole new feel.  The "structured" format was gone, and now I was free to have friends drop by for munchies, pizza or take out.  Eventually I started cooking casseroles and anything you could prepare on a small hibachi. My Sunday afternoons revolved around friends, food and casual get togethers.  The formal sit down dinner was gone, but the desire to bring friends and family together over good food persisted, and it still does today.  I enjoy an occasional roast with all the trimmings, but on Sundays I usually prepare meals that are simple, satisfying and don't involve a boat load of linen or china. Tonight I chose to go with Roasted Chicken Thighs, Fresh Green Beans with Thyme and Oven Roasted Potatoes and Onions with Olive Oil, Rosemary and Thyme. The dinner comes together quickly and takes little "thyme" to clean up.  Bon Appetit!

For the Chicken: Rub the thighs with minced garlic. Brush with olive oil and then salt and pepper them liberally.  Sprinkle crushed rosemary, thyme and lemon zest over the chicken and roast in a 350F oven for approximately one hour, or until done. 

For the Green Beans: Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add the green beans. Let the green beans simmer/boil for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and drain in colander. Return beans to pot, toss in fresh thyme, several pats of butter and then salt and pepper to taste. 

For the Roasted Potatoes and Onions:  Cut up potatoes and onions into quarters, then toss them with olive oil.  Add fresh chopped rosemary, thyme and coarse salt and cracked black pepper to taste. (I use Montreal Seasoning) Roast in single layer on baking sheet in a 450F oven for approximately 45 minutes.  Toss the potatoes and onions every 15 minutes to ensure even roasting. (Roast these first, cover with foil and set aside.  Put these back into the oven with chicken the last 15 minutes of roasting) I have two ovens, so I prepared these and the chicken simultaneously.