I think that Rachael Ray gets a bad rap. Yes, she’s a little too perky. Yes, she has an extraneous “a” in her name. And, yes, she does say “sammies.” But somewhere along the way, she became this terrible villainess who people love to beat up on, and I don’t really think that’s fair.

Most unfair of all, I think, are the indictments against her cooking. Yes, her show is all about  cooking dinner in 30 minutes, but I think the meals she makes are generally pretty appealing. Call her annoying, but I don’t think she’s a bad cook. She uses some prepared ingredients – canned stock, frozen vegetables, etc. – but you know what? So do I. And she’s certainly no Sandra Lee, who I recently saw make a “cake” by buying some cakes, stacking them up, and piling cupcakes on them. The fact that she and Andrew Cuomo are dating may honestly lose him my vote.

But I’ll save my Sandra Lee rant for another day. Today, I want to defend Rachel Ray and offer up this very delicious and simple to prepare all-in-one meal dish.

I don’t roast enough chicken. It’s an easy and affordable way to make a filling meal, and we (meat-eaters, anyway) should all do it more often.

Two of the biggest challenges in roasting chicken are getting the skin crispy and avoiding drying out the bird. This recipe dodges those hazards by pan-frying the breasts to start and then piling on veggies that have been par-boiled in stock to keep everything nice and moist.

The recipe is straight-forward enough, but I did make a few changes/encounter a few issues. First off, I didn’t have a cast-iron pan handy, so I just used a skillet and then transferred everything to a pyrex baking dish. The main problem was that my chicken breasts took 15-20 minutes longer to cook than she prescribed. I don’t know if that was because my meat was not cut up small enough or because I didn’t use a cast-iron pan. Either way, just make sure you cook your poultry fully.The vegetables might get a little soft, but they’ll still taste great. Also, you won’t die from salmonella.

I used stock instead of wine to deglaze the pan, and since I had so much more fresh rosemary that was called for, I added a bunch to the vegetables as well as the chicken. As for the “balsamic drizzle,” I’d recommend it. The recipe is here, but all you do is mix balsamic vinegar with a bit of brown sugar and reduce it over medium heat. A tip, though: If you’re like me and do not spring for the fancy balsamic, there’s probably enough sugar in what you’ve got. Just boil it down to thicken.

The end result here is pretty great, and so the next time somebody starts Ray-bashing, just nod your head quietly and feed them some of this. Then tell them who’s responsible. Rachael Ray may be a little too cute, but you can’t say she doesn’t deliver the goods.

Quick Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
from Rachael Ray

1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast pieces, halved across the breasts with sharp knife
4 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
Optional garnishes: giardiniera or balsamic drizzle

Preheat oven to 450˚F.

Place the potatoes, cauliflower and garlic in a pot with tight-fitting lid. Season with salt and pepper, add stock and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, and season with salt, pepper and rosemary. Add EVOO to skillet, 2 turns of the pan. When oil smokes, add chicken skin-side down and cook 10 minutes or so, turning once.

Remove chicken to a plate and add wine to the pan, scraping up the drippings. Add potatoes, cauliflower and garlic to pan, and top with the browned chicken. Transfer to oven and cook 10-12 minutes more, until vegetables are very tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve chicken, potatoes and cauliflower with giardiniera alongside or topped with a little balsamic drizzle, if desired.