Six roasting/braising recipes = six reasons to turn on the oven again

When the weather turns cool, warm things up by firing up the oven and roasting or braising. Here are six recipes from the Blue Kitchen archives.

Last week, autumnal weather inspired me to roast some chicken with grapes, mushrooms and shallots. The cool weather continues, and so does the desire to cook meaty dishes in the oven. We’ll start with some lamb.

Lancashire Hotpot

This traditional English comfort food dish (shown above) is made with lamb, onions and carrots topped with sliced potatoes and baked until fork tender. You’ll find the recipe here.

Chicken with Lentils (Poulet aux Lentilles)

I’m a sucker for simple French cooking. Here, chicken thighs are given a dry spice/herb/salt rub, then roasted atop lentils and vegetables, spreading their juices and flavor throughout the dish.

Braised Costillos de Puerco, French Style

For this hearty, soul-satisfying braise, Marion combines a classic Mexican cut of meat—pork short ribs—with French technique, oven-braising the ribs with aromatics, herbs and wine. The recipe is right here.

Braised/Roasted Duck Legs with Vegetables

We love duck. It is delicious and easy to prepare. Here, duck legs are roasted and braised with potatoes, carrots, leeks, white wine and thyme. Yes, this recipe is as good as it sounds.

Cornish Hens with Meyer Lemons and Olives

Cornish hens roasted on a bed of leeks, olives and Meyer lemons are an impressive, elegant dinner. Marion made these for us one Valentine’s Day. If you can’t find Meyer lemons in the market right now, thinly sliced regular lemons will do.

Osso Buco with Gremolata

There are many versions of the classic Northern Italian favorite, osso buco. This one uses slow oven braising to make the meat flavorful, fork tender and moist.