The beauty of working for an A Number 1 Outfit, is that the butcher does everything for you. “Could you please bone out 10 chickens” is nothing. It’s like asking for a match. I almost cried when they were delivered to the job this morning. I was holding up raw chickens in one piece–looking like they had born without bones–for anyone who wanted to see. I’m the only kitchen staff when I work this job; I had to curb my enthusiasm. Normal people don’t want to look at that kind of thing when they are thinking about breakfast. I tucked the chicken away and offered fresh blueberry cake and frittata with basil and tomato.
On the menu for lunch: Whole boned chicken, marinated with lemon zest, garlic, and herbs, and then weighted on a hot grill, roasted tomatoes, haricot vert with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and a platter of radishes, carrots, celery, and olives with a homemade lemony mayonnaise.
Don’t be shy with the weights–Once you get the chicken on the grill, a cast iron frying pan with a few bricks wrapped in aluminum is best. I used sheet pans topped with heavy braising pans, and then stone serving spoon holders on top of that. It was a circus worth going to.