Going Mo-bile

Help– I have an ear worm!

The Who song, Going Mobile, is wrapped around my brain like layers of mummy bandages, swaddling my Thinker in gauze to prevent any meaningful thoughts from getting in or out. It’s Google’s fault. Google made a proclamation that as of last week, any website that was not properly designed for mobile viewing would plummet in search results. So, humming my little song from 1971, I made my site go mobile. (That’s moe-bile, for those of you who were born too late).

And then you all started texting and emailing me to comment on my new site design. It’s still the same old design on your ‘puters, folks– it just looks different on your phones and tablets. (You know, that device upon which most of you read this and other blogs. Which makes me wonder: am I your dental office-subway ride-long meeting amusement?) Google says my site is more useful to you on your phone now that it looks the way it does.

I did exactly what Good Lords Google (better known as GLG, or by the pet name GLuG) told me to– and by the required date– but They (GLuG prefers the gender-neutral nomenclature, and certainly deserves to be referred to in the plural) were still not satisfied. I know, because even though I got all fancied up in my new Going Mobile outfit, I am just sitting in my chair, strategically placed between my front door and my iPhone, waiting for They to visit or call.

As I sit, I contemplate the chicken apocalypse. Yes, such a devastating phenomenon would explain why suddenly no one is coming to my site via a chicken search. Up until last week, that was how oh-so-many of you discovered A Sweet and Savory Life. But deep in my heart I know that there has not been a sudden, devastating eradication of all interest in poultry cookery. I know that many of you must still wonder how to make moist, tender, juicy chicken. Apparently you are using your phones to search for that information, and Their Royal GLuGness does not want to tell your phone to come to me for the invaluable instruction and recipes for which you yearn and search.

No worries, People. I am here, chopping away on my cutting board, clicking away on my camera and tapping away on my keyboard, waiting for Their Royal GLuGness to acknowledge my presence. Until then, I thank you, my loyal subscribers, friends and family for continuing to find me. And until then, the words go round and round in my head, because I am, in fact Going Mobile.

Here, in defiance on the non-poultry apocalypse, is a recipe for savory, succulent, juicy whole roast chicken, cooked the easy way.

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Rosemary Orange Roast Chicken

When you roast a whole bird without turning it, a little magic happens. The breast meat cooks to a perfect 160° by the time the thighs hit their requisite 170-175°, simply because the breast is thicker and sits up higher in the oven.

I can’t be bothered with a rack, which is just one more thing to clean, and does not enable the underside of the bird brown as nicely as if it sits right on the pan. I do like to tie the drumsticks together, but I don’t bother with any fancy trussing. I just cross the legs at the end (very ladylike) and wrap the twine around the “ankles” in a figure 8.

You can use 1 whole lemon in place of the half an orange, if you prefer. Either way, your house will smell divine.

1 (5-6 pound) chicken

6 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

2 teaspoons salt, divided

½ orange, quartered

½ teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a roasting pan with cooking spray.

2. Smash the garlic: place a clove or two at a time on your board and lay the widest part of your knife (near the handle) on top of it– the blade is horizontal to the board and the sharp edge faces away from you. Press down to smash the garlic. Once the garlic is smashed,combine it on your board with the rosemary leaves and chop them both finely. Place in a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of the salt.

3. Trim the excess fat from the bird. Starting at the neck, loosen the skin without pulling it off, and use your fingers to spread the rosemary- garlic mixture under the skin and on top of the meat. Insert the orange pieces in the cavity of the bird. Tuck the tips of the wings under the back, and tie the drumsticks at the ends with kitchen twine. Sprinkle the outside of the bird with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

4. Place the bird, breast side up, on the baking sheet and roast in the center of the oven until an instant read meat thermometer inserted deep in the thigh (not touching the bone) registers 170-175 degrees, about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 ½ hours. (For an illustrated guide on how to take the temperature of a whole bird, click here.) Allow to stand 10 minutes before carving.

Makes about 8 servings

Nutritional analysis for each serving: 356 calories, 38 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 21 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 696 mg sodium