My kids have a fail-safe option when looking for gift ideas for me. They can always get a newly-published cookbook and I will be happy! This week, for my birthday, I got Melissa Clark’s new book, Dinner in One, offering recipes that only require one cooking vessel. Hank looked at it and said, “That’s just what you did with your last column!”

We liked that recipe so much – chicken pieces roasted with corn and peaches – that we made it again last night because we had corn left over from the night before. It wasn’t quite enough corn, though, so we added some halved small potatoes to this eminently adaptable recipe.

As an added bonus, this is a perfect lunch to bring to work – I’ll cut the chicken off the bone into bite-sized pieces before placing it into a container – which is a practice that goes into our menu planning now that the school year has begun. You can read the column in the Berkshire Eagle link here, or just scroll down!

SQUEEZING THE LAST RAYS FROM SUMMER

by Elizabeth Baer

The kids are back in school. I’m back in school. The maples in our backyard are turning red, and I’m feeling a bit sad that the summer is over.

We had a great summer that included lots of visits with family and friends, near and far, and so many wonderful meals with fresh, local produce, despite the drought conditions.

And now it’s time to get back to work and hunker down with cozy, cold weather meals.

Not so fast! There’s still local corn in the stores, and for a quick and easy dinner I devised this recipe that requires very little prep. Certainly once the school year begins anyone with any connection to the academic year is happy for an easy meal. Or even if you just want something new to do with the last of the corn, the weather now allows us to have the oven on. The other benefit of this recipe is that I love bringing the leftovers for lunch at school! In that case, I usually cut the meat off the bone to make things easier when I’m rushing through lunch!

I had a large peach last time I did this, so I decided to include that in the dish. Other fruit would work, too, I think, and I will certainly be trying some variations, such as other stone fruit or figs. I also have been cutting corn off the cob and freezing it in measured quantities to use through the winter, which I always do, so I will be able to make this recipe throughout the winter for a bright, yellow taste of summer!

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CORN AND PEACHES

Serves 4-8

INGREDIENTS:

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
⅛ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups corn kernels, fresh and cut from the cob, or frozen and defrosted
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
1 large peach, or 2 small, pitted and cut into 10-12 wedges, or other cut fruit

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper, and arrange skin side up in a large baking dish, with plenty of room around the chicken for adding the corn later. Alternatively, arrange the chicken thighs on a half sheet pan, foil-lined for easier clean-up. Sprinkle the dried thyme over all the pieces and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Place the corn in a large bowl. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, smoked paprika, melted butter, and honey, and mix to combine. Remove the pan from the oven and add the corn kernels, spreading all around the chicken pieces. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, and tuck the peach wedges or other fruit pieces around the pan, nestled in the corn or next to the chicken pieces. Roast for a final 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on it to make sure the corn doesn’t burn.

Remove from the oven and serve, making sure each diner gets some corn and peach, and save any leftovers to bring in to work for lunch the next day!

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Dinner + Lunch Leftovers!