September 28 – October 4, 2026

Monday:                  Leftovers with Herbed Goat Cheese Tapas

Wednesday:          Acton Institute Dinner – good food at the D.C. + macaroons

Thursday:                Jumbalaya

Saturday:                Chicago Style Tavern Pizza

Sunday:                   Celery Salt Chicken w/ Lemony Potatoes and Arugula

Ooh, Mommy

What, exactly, is the meaning of ‘umami,’ that pretentious word bandied about by foodies, celebrity chefs and writers who are restricted to writing about food? (You will notice that I do not so restrict myself – or maybe you just look at the pictures and haven’t noticed).

Well, to answer the question posed before the parenthetic comment, umami is a taste, but more than that, it’s a comprehensive sensation that includes the idea of savory, earthy, carnivore-pleasing and being totally, completely, impossible-to-ignore, I-may-need-a-longer-belt replete.  A great meatloaf, a well-seasoned mushroom soup or beef stew, a perfect coq-au-vin – these dishes will give you umami.

But the recipe I’m offering this week, is my new favorite in this category.  I have stolen it from Geoffrey Zakarian, tweaking the timing and the seasoning just a bit.  Zakarian suggests a lemony potato and arugula side and that is, indeed, a perfect accompaniment.  But you could pair it with rice or just some crusty bread and a salad, as well.  Actually, the bread by itself to help you sop up the onions and pan drippings would be just fine.

I have become enamored of Zakarian by watching him cook on a Food TV show called, “The Kitchen.”  “The Kitchen” also features the hilarious Jeff Mauro, the beautiful Katie Lee Biegel and the lively Sunny Anderson whose laughter at Mauro’s antics is one of the keys to the show.   All of these folks can cook, but Zakarian is the centerpiece of the group and his recipes are usually world class.  Why only “usually?”  Well, when you have to cook around a theme (Thanksgiving, Game Day, etc.) again and again, you will be tempted to stretch from time to time.  And you’re bound to come up with a clunker or two over 11 seasons and 500 episodes.

But, Bill, you will argue, you have been offering weekly recipes now for 11 years and you do not stretch, you do not come up with clunkers.  Well, but I’m me, the former psycho-chef, and I get to choose my own thematic or non-thematic recipes.  And, above all, I have SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and family and friends to let me know what works and what doesn’t.  And Zakarian (pray for him) has only producers and food ‘professionals.’

But enough about me – well, there will be more next week – here’s that recipe which, I promise, will knock the socks off your family and friends when you cook it for them.  If I were you, I wouldn’t use the word ‘umami’ when presenting the dish.  Pretension has a way of putting some folks off their feed.

Celery Salt Roasted Chicken with Lemon Arugula Potatoes

(adapted from Geoffrey Zakarian)

Note: The caramelized onions and the gravy and fond that collect in the pan beneath the chicken are the real star of this dish.  The chicken, with its crispy skin and moistness, is spectacular, but the deep umami is in the onions and the gravy.

Timing:                                 2 hours 15 minutes, or a bit more

(this includes one hour to let the chicken come to room temperature)

Ingredients:                                            Serves 4

For the Chicken:

One chicken (Zakarian calls for a 3 lb. chicken, but grocery stores don’t

sell such a petite bird.  I usually find a 4.5 lb. chicken and simply

increase the oven temperature and cooking time)

4 tablespoons butter at room temperature (actually, you need really soft

butter – you’re going to spread it all over the chicken – you might want to

microwave it for a bit)

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon celery salt, plus more for the onions

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3 or 4 sprigs thyme and 2 sprigs rosemary

1 lemon, quartered

2 large Vidalia (or other) sweet onions, sliced into ½-inch thick wedges

through the root, to hold them together

1/3 cup white wine

fresh parsley for garnish

For the Potatoes:

2 pounds golden baby potatoes

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

2 lemons supremed and juiced

1/3 cup (probably more) of extra-virgin olive oil

5 ounces arugula (the larger containers in grocery stores are usually 5 oz.)

Prep:

Get the butter out in the morning – if you forget, you can microwave the butter for about 14 seconds.  If it’s not very soft and spreadable, microwave some more.

Place chicken on a baking sheet and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 and place a large cast-iron pan in the oven to heat.

Slice the onions

Quarter the lemon

Gather the other ingredients

Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of celery salt into the cavity, then stuff with the thyme, the rosemary and the quartered lemon – all of the lemon may not fit.

Spread or brush the butter all over the outside of the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Supreme and juice the lemons.

After the chicken has finished its initial roast (40 minutes), put the potatoes in a pot with 2 tablespoons of salt and cover with water by 1 inch.

When the initial roasting of the chicken is finished, boil the potatoes until tender.

Cook:

Carefully remove the pan from the oven – use a mitt!  Arrange the onion in the pan and drizzle with white wine, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and celery salt.  Place the chicken in the pan – it can rest on some of the onions.

Roast the chicken until deep golden-brown and caramelized – 40 minutes for the petite 3.5 lb. bird Zakarian can get – probably 1 hour for the typical grocery store bird – then turn off the oven and allow to rest in the oven until the thickest part of the thigh registers 160 F – check at 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let the bird rest for another 20 minutes – the temperature of the thigh should then register 165 F.

Finish the potatoes – while the bird is resting on the cutting board, when the potatoes are tender, drain them and transfer to a large bowl and smash some of them with a spoon or potato masher, or tear a bunch in half.  While the potatoes are hot, pour over the lemon juice and segments and pour over the olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.  Toss to coat the potatoes, then add half the arugula and toss again.  Add the second half of the arugula just before serving.

Arrange the onions and juices and fond on a platter.  Carve the chicken and place on the platter.