The weather has been glorious, and also, quite clearly, the calendar page has turned. There are still fresh tomatoes to be had, but the apple bins are full and it’s time to turn on the oven. Even though it is past the chance to serve this dish, from this past Wednesday’s Berkshire Eagle column, for your Erev Rosh Hashanah meal, it will serve you well through the fall and into the winter!

HONEY APPLES

by Elizabeth Baer

There are certain months that when you turn the calendar page, the association tugs at you. September is one such month, a time that always feels like I have the chance for a new beginning, both because of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and also because I spent so many years of my life in an academic setting, first as a student, then as a teacher.

Both of these associations are real, and in the kitchen, apples always come to mind when the air turns crisp, remembering the annual apple-picking picnic we attended every year when I was growing up. I love how these thoughts intertwine: in September there’s both an apple for the teacher, and apples and honey as a Rosh Hashanah tradition for a sweet new year (usually in September, although sometimes in October).

Recently, when we were in Maine last month, we received some food gifts from friends who visited us at the cabin for lunch. This came as no surprise, since people who know me, as Marcy and Jimmy do, often gift us local ingredients and treats such as these always gets my kitchen creativity going! One of the items they brought was apple butter and I decided it would be the perfect inspiration for a sheet pan chicken dinner, suitable for a festive High Holy Day table or an ordinary Tuesday.

I arranged potato, shallot, apple, and chicken on a parchment-lined sheet pan and included honey with my apple butter mixture to complete the traditional Rosh Hashanah symbolism. As the chicken cooked, the juices bathed everything on the pan, and after about 45 minutes, an easy and delicious dinner emerged.

APPLE BUTTER CHICKEN

Serves 4-6, can be expanded to as much as fits on a half sheet pan

INGREDIENTS:

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, about 10-12 ounces total, sliced about ¼-inch thick
2 shallots, about 5 ounces total, trimmed and sliced about ¼ inch thick
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 Honeycrisp or other firm variety of apple, about 6-8 ounces
1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds, cut into 8 pieces, or the equivalent in bone-in skin-on chicken parts
¼ cup apple butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Generous grinding of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a half sheet pan with parchment for easy clean up.

Place the potato slices in a medium bowl and add the shallots, separating the rings – more or less, no need to be fussy about it. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to combine. Lay the potato slices close together on the parchment, but not overlapping. Scatter the shallot rings on top.

Slice the apple ¼-inch thick. Cutting through the middle and removing the seeds or core where necessary creates prettier slices, but it really doesn’t matter how the apple is cut as long as the seeds and any tough parts of the core are removed. Arrange the apple slices on top of the shallots.

Arrange the chicken pieces, skin side up, on top of the apple slices.

Place the apple butter in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon the apple butter mixture on top of the chicken pieces and spread to cover, or use a basting brush. It doesn’t matter if some drips onto the apples and potatoes.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. The internal temperature of the thickest piece of chicken should be 165°F on an instant read thermometer. Serve chicken pieces together with potatoes, apples, and shallots.

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