Here was the first alternative use for those early fatty slices of prosciutto that I had set aside when slicing into a new leg… We were baking a chicken with some butter, olive oil, thyme and a whole lemon, salt and pepper in the cavity, and for the last 30 minutes of cooking, tossed some baby potatoes into the pan. About 10 minutes before the chicken and potatoes were done, we added slices of prosciutto fat and in some cases a bit of meat and they melted or crisped up on top of and among the potatoes. It sounds so incredibly simple and it was, but the flavor impact of the salty fat was far greater than the 10 seconds of effort needed to try this experiment. I often purposefully put bacon in with the potatoes, but have never had prosciutto fat lying around so this was a first for our kitchen, I think. I have only one photo as we were in such a hurry to eat dinner, but I can tell you there were a few potatoes perfectly cooked and “enrobed” in a crisped up slice of prosciutto and they were absolutely DELICIOUS. Almost better than the roasted chicken itself! Don’t ever throw out those fatty bits of prosciutto or other similar hams!
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sounds simple to make but looks yummy! will try your bacon version
makes me really hungry. the chicken looks good to eat and so do the potatoes and those bits of prosciutto. yummmmmmmy.
Hi Marketman!
I know this is OT, but seeing the chicken and potatoes in your post reminded me of this dish I had at Kitchen’s Best in Makati — Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic.
It was cooked to soft, juicy perfection and I know it’s more Mediterranean than Filipino, but it had this wonderful similarity to adobo. Gosh, now my mouth is watering! I was just wondering if you’ve ever tried a recipe like that?
We tried it at home and the chicken ended up dry. The restaurant version was very moist and saucy. Maybe you can experiment and share the results?
PS: I’ve been a long-time lurker and now a first-time poster!
I can just drooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!
“Don’t ever throw out those fatty bits of prosciutto or other similar hams!”
Who in their right minds ever does? :)
I just eat them. :D
wow! my fave! i thought the melon with prosciutto is already mouth-watering. but this is far more better! im drooling already…yum! yum!
MM, when I put whole lemons in the cavity of my roast chicken, somehow it gives the chicken a bitter tang. Which is totally weird since I also use whole lemons when cooking pork chops but they turn out just fine. But the lemons do get caramelized in the pork chop dish since it cooks outside, on the pan, and not inside a cavity.
Crispy prosciutto is also great with salads. I used to make a version of blt sandwich: crispy prosciutto, oven dried tomatoes and arugula on a warmed up baguette. YUM!
I have always wondered about those preliminary slices that Italian butcher sales assistants so aggressively hack off prociutto and salamis and appear to discard behind the counter but am too self-conscious to inquire about. As a budding gourmand (away from home and on a tight budget) in the sixties I use to buy similar ham remnants from Majestic Ham in Echague which I turned into great greasy sandwiches.
laying the fatty slices of prociutto over the chicken while baking is another alternative
Because of your post last year,I experimented with roasting a 1.2 k chicken with: (for cavity: tied up tanglad,juice of half lemon,lots of rosemary,pinch thyme,pinch tarragon,pinch sage,sea salt,fresh ground pepper. ). Rub the outside with the same tarragon,sage,,sea salt,pepper but add more rosemary.
Bake at 400 degrees for first 30 minutes then reduce to 350 for an hour. To avoid drying,brush with canola oil about 3 times within the hour and half. To have good color,add a little Coconut Soy sauce(just tinge)to the canola oil. Strain sauce on pan and add slurry. Season to taste. I always find it economical to make about three as it is gone in a jiffy. If you have leftovers,so good on sandwich with lettuce.The rosemary really gives it a wonderful taste. So good!! One of your baked chicken posts inspired this and it is so popular with my family and relatives. Great with macaroni or green salad!!
Hope I get some prosciutto or ham fat to try your chicken. Thanks for your inspiration…I love cooking/baking even more….
Ooops PS..add the soy sauce only on the last basting of oil as too much will make it too dark.
MM, do the fat bits become yummy crispy bits?
OOHLALA!!! This sounds heavenly! I never thow fat away either ;)
Marisse..and if you have any leftovers, first…have you tried the pizza dough I posted before?….really good for those thin pizza crusts! Before baking, inverted cookie sheet if you don’t have pizza stone…preheat on high oven heatfor a good 15 to 20 minues. ….then pizza crust rolled thinly and brushed with olive oil, your toppings….caramelized onions, procuitto crisps, sliced roasted baby potatoes, roasted peppers and thin slices of brie…..it is sooooooo good! My family prefers this over tomato sauce based pizzas….We are not tomato sauce people as the boys put it! One time, before eating it, the boys drizzled their pizzas with RANCH DRESSING! I said…NO, NO, NO!!!!! But after I had a bite of theirs, it was good as well!
mmmm… sarap ng taba! i’ve never seen large enough pieces of prosciutto fat like that — i’d guess pancetta or any other type of bacon can sub, ya? pork fat rules! :)
Crisp Prosecutors
not sure if you’ve seen this in local markets MM, in the italian market here I can sometimes get tubs of crisped up prosciutto bits (perfect for a salad, pasta alfredo or baked potatoes)
rina, I have not run across tubs of goodness as you describe… or I would be their biggest customer! :)
bettyq,i will try that pizza…sounds so good…olive oil base….and using the inverted cookie sheet is a good idea!!
Marisse: please check your e-mail. I will send you the full recipe if I still haven’t. My apologies for I have lost track of who wants what a looooooong time ago….got buried somewhere or I think I am starting to lose it!!!!…hahahaha