Tonight's dinner - Roasted garlic and rocket chicken with Cauliflower Gratin

My favourite dinner combo for my family. It is simple and easy to prepare and it tastes great!

Cauliflower Gratin by Martha Stewart

Ingredients 

• 1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions   

Preheat oven to 400 degrees(204c). In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, heavy cream, flour, and 3/4 cup grated Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over cauliflower. Dot with butter and bake, uncovered, until topping is golden brown and cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Roasted garlic and rocket chicken by Donna Hay

• 3 small heads garlic, cloves separated
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 x 1.6kg whole chicken, butterflied (see cook’s tip, below)

rocket dressing

• 1 cup baby rocket (arugula) leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the garlic on a baking tray, drizzle with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on top of the garlic and rub with the remaining oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour. Move the garlic from under the chicken to the edge of the tray and roast for a further 30 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and the garlic is tender. While the chicken is cooking, make the rocket dressing. Place the rocket, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine. Serve the chicken with the roasted garlic and rocket dressing. Serves 4.

cook’s tip: Butterflying a chicken allows it to cook faster and more evenly. To butterfly and flatten a chicken, position the chicken, breast-side down, on a board so the back is facing up and the drumsticks are facing towards you. Using sharp kitchen scissors or chicken shears, cut closely along either side of the backbone, remove the bone and discard. Turn the chicken, breast-side up, and press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. Tuck the wings under the chicken before roasting.