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Recipes: Cook dinner in a single sheet pan

Dishes like roasted salade nicoise promise easy prep, easier clean up.

Roasted salade nicoise. Photographs by anthony tieuli / food styling by Sheila jarnes/Ennis inc.
BRINING MADE EASY: I believe in brining chicken before roasting or grilling — it really does make a difference for seasoning and texture. But it doesn’t mean a lot of extra work. For the chicken recipe here, in a large bowl, mix 1/3 cup salt, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 6 cups water, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Submerge the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Rinse the chicken and dry well with paper towels.Anthony Tieuli

You’ve heard of one-pot dinners? These are one-sheet-pan dinners, which means easier cleanup with the added bonus of concentrated, roasted flavors. Here I use a traditional salade Nicoise as the starting point for a pan of roasted potatoes, green beans, and fish. Ham, squash, and apples are gratifying flavors of a New England autumn, and roasted chicken with fennel, bell peppers, and herbes de Provence gives you a little detour toward the south of France (if you shut your eyes tight and stand by the warm oven!).

ROASTED SALADE NICOISE

Serves 6 

Rather than the traditional tuna, I like the lighter touch of a firm white fish like hake, haddock, cod, halibut, or tilapia. Inspired by a recipe in Sheet Pan Suppers by Molly Gilbert.

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> For the roasted salade

18    small redskin, Yukon gold, or creamer potatoes about 2 inches in diameter (1¾ pounds), scrubbed and halved

3      tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1       pound green beans, ends trimmed and beans halved (about 4 cups)

1       large onion, halved and each half thickly sliced

1¾   pounds white fish fillets, skinned if necessary

1       dry pint cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2 cups)

½     cup pitted Kalamata or Nicoise olives, halved

4      hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered

> For the vinaigrette

1½   tablespoons red wine vinegar

½     teaspoon Dijon mustard

2      teaspoons minced fresh thyme

¼     cup minced fresh basil

Salt and pepper

¼     cup extra-virgin olive oil

With the rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Spread the potatoes in a single layer, cut side down, over half of a large (roughly 18-by-13-inch) rimmed baking sheet. In the bowl, toss the beans and onion with 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste, and spread them on the other side of the baking sheet. Roast until the beans and onion are tender and browned, about 20 minutes (the potatoes won’t be done yet), stirring the beans (but not the potatoes) after 10 minutes. Remove the beans and onion from the baking sheet and set aside.

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Dry the fish with paper towels; in the bowl, rub it all over with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, then place on the empty side of the baking sheet. In the bowl, toss the tomatoes and olives to coat with residual oil and scatter them over the fish and potatoes. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender, the tomatoes are wrinkled, and the fish is opaque and firm but not hard, about 12 to 18 minutes, depending on type and thickness of fish.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, thyme, 3 tablespoons of the basil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste to dissolve the salt. Vigorously whisk in ¼ cup oil. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Remove about two-thirds of the vinaigrette to a small bowl.

Add the beans and onion to the large bowl and toss to coat with vinaigrette; arrange dressed beans and onion on a large serving platter. In the large bowl, toss the potatoes with half the vinaigrette from the small bowl; arrange them on the platter. Arrange the fish, tomatoes, olives, and eggs on the platter, drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette from the small bowl, sprinkle with the remaining basil, and serve at once.

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ROASTED HAM, SQUASH, AND APPLES WITH ROSEMARY

Serves 6

2½  pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)

1       large onion, halved and thickly sliced

1½   tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

4      teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1½   pounds ham steak, cut into 1-inch cubes

2      medium baking apples (about 1 pound), peeled, quartered, cored, and each quarter cut crosswise into thirds

1½   tablespoons pure maple syrup

3      medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

¼     cup chopped fresh parsley

With the rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the squash and onion with the oil to coat. Add ¾ teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, and 2 teaspoons rosemary, and toss. Spread the mixture on a large, rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and roast, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. Stir the mixture gently and spread over half the baking sheet. In the bowl, toss the ham and apples with the maple syrup to coat. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, garlic, and remaining rosemary and toss to distribute. Spread the mixture on the empty side of the baking sheet, return it to the oven, and roast until the squash and apples are tender and the ham is heated through, about 10 minutes longer, tossing the mixture once halfway through.

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Sprinkle most of the parsley over the mixture and toss gently. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Transfer the mixture to a large serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once.

ROASTED CHICKEN, FENNEL, AND PEPPERS WITH HERBES DE PROVENCE

Serves 6 

If you prefer white meat, substitute 4 trimmed boneless skinless breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each) for the dark-meat thighs. Extend the brining time to an hour and roast until the internal temperature is 160 degrees, about 25 minutes. Let the breasts rest for about 5 minutes and bias-slice them to serve.

3      large fennel bulbs (about 14 ounces each), trimmed, halved, cored, and each half cut top to base into fifths

2      large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½ inch-wide strips (about 4 cups)

3      tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

1½   tablespoons herbes de Provence

8      medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

12     boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1¾ pounds), trimmed, brined, rinsed, and dried

¼     cup chopped fresh parsley

Lemon wedges, for serving

With the rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the fennel and peppers with 2 tablespoons of the oil to coat. Add 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste, half the herbes de Provence (crushing it with your fingertips as you add it), and the garlic, and toss. Spread the mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. In the bowl, toss the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to coat. Add black pepper to taste and the remaining herbes de Provence, toss to distribute, and arrange the chicken over the vegetables. Roast, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken, stir the vegetables, replace the chicken, and continue to roast until the fennel is very tender and the chicken thighs register about 195 degrees, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the chicken and set aside.

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Sprinkle most of the parsley over the vegetables and toss gently. Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper if necessary. Transfer to a large serving platter, arrange the chicken over or around the vegetables, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once with lemon wedges.


Adam Ried appears regularly on “America’s Test Kitchen.” Send comments to cooking@globe.com.