Alright, so I tried doing the whole pollastre a l’ast thing. Thought it’d be a proper Sunday roast, but… yeah. It was a bit of a disaster. Not the chicken itself, mind you (well, kinda), but the idea of it was fine.
I called Montse (my mother-in-law) and asked for help. She was all, “Just stick it in the oven with some garlic and rosemary, it’s easy.” So easy, in fact, that I was so confident it’d be foolproof. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
First of all, I forgot to check the chicken’s weight, so I totally guessed how long it should be in there. And then I thought, “I’ll baste it later,” and, well, I didn’t. You could say I went a little rogue.
By the time it came out of the oven, it was… crispy. Crispy isn’t even the word. It was more like, crunchy. But, to be fair, nobody seemed to mind.
Albert actually tried it. He didn’t spit it out, which—considering his usual diet of pasta and bread—is a huge win in my book. Small victories.
The potatoes, though? They were the real stars. I mean, they were perfect. I’ve learned enough by now to know that roasted potatoes should be on every table, even if the chicken’s a bit of a mess. Montse said I should try patates al caliu, which are these roasted potatoes cooked over a fire, but since I don’t have a fire pit (or a fireproof backyard), I figured the oven would do. And do they did.
So, yeah. The roast wasn’t exactly what I envisioned, but it was good enough. It tasted like home—sort of. Messy, imperfect, but still comforting.
Here’s what happened next:
Pollastre a l’Ast (Catalan Roast Chicken)
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken (just grab whatever you can find)
- 4 garlic cloves (smash ‘em, don’t be fancy)
- Some rosemary (fresh if you’ve got it, dried if not)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper (you know the deal)
- 1 lemon (half for inside the chicken, the other half for your gin and tonic later)
- 1 onion (just chuck it in there)
- A splash of white wine (don’t feel guilty, it’s for the chicken)
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F), but, like, it’s fine if it’s not perfect.
- Rub the garlic, rosemary, oil, salt, and pepper all over that chicken. Don’t be shy, really get in there.
- Squeeze half the lemon into the chicken, toss the rest of the lemon and the onion in the pan.
- Roast it for about 1.5 hours. Baste if you actually remember, otherwise, just let it cook.
- When it’s golden and a little too crispy (but whatever), take it out. Let it rest for 10 minutes, or 5 if you’re hungry and can’t wait.
Patates al Caliu (Rustic Roasted Potatoes)
Ingredients:
- 6 medium potatoes (or more if you’re starving)
- 4 garlic cloves (again, smash ‘em)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (don’t be stingy)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (seriously, it’s worth it)
- Salt and pepper (as much as you need)
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Trust me, it works.
- Toss the potatoes with garlic, oil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Don’t worry about the details.
- Lay the potatoes on a baking tray, shove them in the oven, and let them roast for 45 minutes. Flip ‘em halfway through if you can be bothered.
- When they’re crispy and golden, they’re done. Serve them up.
I’m not saying it was perfect. But I’m saying it was ours. That’s all. It wasn’t some picture-perfect roast you see in magazines. But we ate it, we laughed, and I didn’t burn the house down. That’s enough for me.
Next week? Who knows. Maybe I’ll get fancy and try escudella. Or maybe we’ll just stick with potatoes.