Eight ingredients, plus pantry staples. That's all it takes to make an entire meal from scratch. Add in a good bottle of wine for less than $20, and you've got a feast for family or friends.
The start of a new year means the end of the holiday season, and getting back into the busy groove can be a struggle for everyone. For me, another piece of baggage comes with this time of year: Latke withdrawal.
Making latkes during Hanukkah is something I look forward to all year long, and I’m still craving these potato pancakes weeks after the holidays end. I’m a big fan of pretty much all forms of fried potato, but with their ragged edges and creamy, onion-flecked interiors, latkes are elite. While I appreciate the significance of the holiday ritual, I feel strongly that we should extend their reach beyond December. Latkes deserve to be a year-round side dish.
My mourning of latke season inspired this weeknight dinner, which nods to each standout component of traditional latkes but avoids the mess and hassle that understandably discourages people from making them year-round.
Potatoes are obviously prominent here, with a preparation that’s super simple but still achieves the crucial factors of crunch and richness, by giving them space on their own sheet pan. At the same time, apples and onions are roasted together with chicken thighs to upgrade the side dish into a full meal.
To play the role of the accompanying apple sauce, the apples are cooked until saucy but not mushy, and the addition of nutmeg adds that extra latke-esque flavor. So do the onions, which maintain a little bit of textural bite, just like in the real thing. Of course, no latke experience is complete without both apple sauce and sour cream. Here, it’s whipped until it’s just a touch thinner, seasoned with salt and a bunch of fresh dill and then served underneath, alongside or in dollops on top of the chicken and apples.
Once the roasting ingredients reach the half-done mark, they really do start to fill your space with a scent distinctly reminiscent of latkes.
Now, for the wine. From fried chicken to potato chips, fried foods pair amazingly well with bubbles, and latkes are no exception. The carbonation and palpable acidity associated with sparkling wines like Champagne, Prosecco and Cava balance the richness of these foods, refreshing your palate to keep you coming back for more. Especially for special occasions like Hanukkah, I love pairing latkes with celebratory wines like these. That made Prosecco a natural choice for this potato-based, olive oil–rich dish.
An affordable crowd pleaser that scored an impressive 90 points, Mionetto Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore NV has the acidity to accent the latke-inspired elements, with notes of spices like cardamom and turmeric that complement the nutmeg and cinnamon in this recipe. It’s never a bad idea to pull out a sparkling wine on a weeknight … and pop it a little bit early as dinner finishes in the oven.
Sheet-Pan Chicken With Potatoes, Apples, Onions and Sour Cream Sauce
Pair with a lively Prosecco such as Mionetto Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore NV (90 points, $20).
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Approximate food costs: $35
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
- 1 1/2 pounds small creamer potatoes
- 1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
- 2 Fuji apples
- 1 white or yellow onion
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
Preparation
1. Season the chicken on all sides with salt and set aside at room temperature.
2. Add the potatoes to a large pot and fill it three-quarters of the way with cold water, then set over high heat. Once simmering, season generously with salt. Once the water is boiling, let the potatoes cook for 5 or so minutes until mostly tender. (Use a fork to test doneness.) Strain the potatoes into a colander and let them sit there to drain and cool.
3. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425º F. Cut each apple into eighths by slicing in half, coring, cutting into quarters and then cutting crosswise. Cut the onion into eighths and add it to a large bowl with the apples. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and toss to coat, then spread evenly on a large sheet pan. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss with any remaining olive oil mixture (there should be plenty), then arrange on the sheet pan skin-side up.
4. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half. On a separate, smaller sheet pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then the potatoes. Season with salt, toss to coat evenly and then arrange cut-side down on the sheet pan.
5. Transfer both sheet pans to the oven and roast until the cut sides of the potatoes are well-browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 450º F, leaving the larger sheet pan in the oven about 10 to 15 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through with browned skin.
6. In the meantime, in a small bowl, whisk sour cream until extra smooth, then fold in the dill and season to taste with salt. Serve with the chicken, either in a small bowl alongside or by smearing a spoonful on each plate. Serves 4.
