White Wine Chicken & Potatoes

Last year my husband and I started the Valentine's Day tradition of enjoying a late-night romantic dinner at home after our little girl falls asleep. As soon as she's out we dress up, turn on something like Iron & Wine or Madeleine Peyroux, light the candles, and quietly dance around the kitchen as we put our feast together. We like it so much we even turned down a babysitter this year so we could keep the tradition alive. We have chicken with a white wine sauce, a recipe that my brilliant brother in-law created, with mashed potatoes, some type of bread, and a veggie like broiled asparagus on the side. You could call this meal traditional, French-American, "comfort food", but with a little more sophistication. The flavor is out of this world and the recipe is shockingly simple. There are a few times where you have to "eyeball" the measurements, but it's pretty hard to mess it up.

A special thank you to Leland for sharing this recipe with me and allowing me share it with you.

(I'll post pictures after our date tomorrow, but I wanted to post it beforehand in case you are looking for a new recipe to share with your significant other tomorrow evening.)

White Wine Chicken

From the memory of Leland Rowley

1. Brown both sides of two quality chicken breasts with butter in a heavy-bottomed pan (no non-stick) on high heat to lock in juices. Remove chicken.

2. Lower heat to medium-high.

3. Pour in chicken stock and white wine (the stuff for cooking). We just eyeball the measurements here, but roughly about two cups chicken stock to 3/4 cup white wine.

4. Put chicken back in and cover pan with foil, cooking on medium heat until cooked through. Don't flip the chicken in the pan - just cook on one side the entire time. Remove chicken (lightly cover to keep it warm for serving).

5. Pour in a little heavy whipping cream and cornstarch, or flour,(one tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired thickness) in pan juices to make gravy.

I thought I'd include my favorite mashed potatoes recipe as well:

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Recipe by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa at Home

kosher salt

3 pounds boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-1/2 inch cubes. Add them to the boiling water and bring the water back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the whole milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.

As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Place a food mill fitted with a small disk or blade over a heatproof bowl. Pass the potatoes through the food mill, turning the handle back and forth. As soon as the potatoes are mashed, stir in the hot milk-and-butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Add enough buttermilk to make the potatoes creamy. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper, or more to taste, and serve hot. To keep the potatoes warm, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water for up to 30 minutes. You can add a little extra hot milk to keep them creamy.

Broiled Asparagus

From...everybody knows this recipe so I don't need a source, right?

1. Preheat oven on broil. Lay trimmed asparagus spears on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

2. Broil for about 10 minutes, shaking pan or rotating spears once or twice. Remove when spears are lightly golden brown and tender.

3. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve.

Still trying to think of a dessert? Flourless Chocolate Cake is probably the answer you're looking for.