The reason I like high heat cooking is because the great flavors of the food are the focus of the meal. There’s no covering up the true, caramelized flavors from great ingredients in a hot oven. I look forward to my oven roasted chicken and plantains, especially as we head into some cooler fall weather. I am hooked on chicken, basted at 400 degrees. And the ripe plantains cook so easily at that temperature, too. Pre-heat your oven. Lightly coat a half chicken with olive oil in an oven safe skillet. Sea salt and pepper season. Add an extra tablespoon of chicken fat, duck fat, or olive oil for basting. Put in the oven for a half hour, basting every 7 minutes. Check with your meat thermometer at your third and fourth basting just to check. When you get to 160, remove from the oven and plate, otherwise it will continue to cook in the pan. At your third basting, put the sliced plantains, tossed with olive oil, in an oven safe pan, in the oven. Cook to golden brown. (tip: buy plantains several days ahead of when needed. They must ripen to a black color before they’re ready to cook.) Sauté kale and minced garlic, or serve with a mixed green salad.
