'Appetite'
Nigel Slater
Clarkson Potter -- 2000
Buy it at Amazon

Anyone titling a recipe "Classic, Unmucked-About-With Roast Chicken" is going to get our attention. Our Brooklyn kitchen measures 5-feet by 7-feet, so we're enormous fans of simple, hearty fare. So is Nigel Slater, an English toque who only uses a handful of seasonal ingredients in his recipes and would not take kindly to the notion that "back to basics" is some brand-new trend (this book printed in 2000). Slater's juicy roast chicken is our standby, his caramelized onion-taleggio tart has amazed many a dinner guest and his general approach to cooking -- welcoming, hilarious, opinionated -- is right up our alley.

Takeaway tips:

1. Not a book for those who like their measurements precise; Slater's a fan of "a handful" and "a bunch."
   
2. There's a knockout pantry guide: "A bag of pasta, a lump of Parmesan and a bottle of olive oil ... the best friends you will ever have."
   
3. Look for the "what goes with what" primer, which includes "marriages made in heaven" like figs and Roquefort.
   
4. Pour yourself a drink before cooking (his words, not ours).
5. Look for the "and more" at the end of each recipe (i.e.: A Potato Supper "with sausage" or "with cheese").
   

Quality of pictures: These are snapshots for real, hungry cooks, with droolworthy pics of the greasy inside of a skillet, an Impressionistic stained apron and a closeup of freshly plucked sage you can nearly smell.

We tested: Roast Chicken, A Tart for a Party

A few responses to my post yesterday anticipated the spirit of my second resolution, to perfect that classic of classics, Roast Chicken. My fellow slashfoodie Kat Kinsman plans to master The Biscuit, while a reader named Michael has set his sights on Bouillabaisse. Both worthy goals.

Roast chicken has always flummoxed me. Various recipes pull me in every direction. Do I butter? Rub with some kind of spice concoction? Do I truss? What about basting? Chicken stock at the bottom of the pan, or poured over the bird, or none at all? What, if anything, ought I stuff into the cavity? At what temperature shall I roast it? Pan sauce? Au jus? Somehow, my Thanksgiving turkey has always turned out quite nicely no matter which way I go, but I've never roasted a chicken--never--that I've been terribly proud of.

Am I cursed? This year, I will find out. I plan to try every variation and, perhaps more importantly, take notes. Periodically throughout the year, I'll share those notes, and accompanying photos, so we can all roast chickens to crispy golden tender moist perfection. Then again, you probably already do that, so please don't hesitate to share your tips. I might try your method first! Oh, and to keep the experiment semi-constant, I plan to use high quality but readily available Bell and Evans chickens every time. I'd also welcome suggestions for creative uses for leftover roast chicken. Or, if chicken's not your thing, what will you perfect this year?

In today's Los Angeles Times Food Section:

The sweet side of rhubarb - and I was literally just thinking that I should try my hand at rhubarb pie like mom used to make (er, not MY mom). Russ Parsons examines the many faces, sweet and sour, of this complicated veggie.

Accompanying recipes include rhubarb crisp a la mode with strawberry sauce (please! It's too early in the morning to be reading such things!) and rhubarb-strawberry sorbet.

Perfecting Chicken: Roasted or otherwise. And a recipe for roast chicken with fried artichokes and lemon. Other recipes include: braised chicken with capers and a Basque-style chicken.

S. Irene Virbila reviews the new Citrus at Social Hollywood, chef Michael Richard's experiment with running a successful restaurant from across the country.

Meet the man who's going to revamp your wine label -- complete with calories and nutritional information. You mean wine has calories...? And a sidebar with the history of U.S. wine label regulations.

A lively but not too complimentary review of the Top Chef Cookbook.

Wine of the week is a 2006 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso.

Finally, Susan la Tempa looks back at several easy late-night recipes here.

I've gotta start keeping better tabs on the food monthlies.

I just learned from yesterday's Palm Beach Post that Bon Appétit is celebrating its Golden Anniversary. The Post features a fascinating interview with the magazine's editor, Barbara Fairchild. Amid her addressing such topics as whether people still cook today or live vicariously through celebrity chefs (her answer, a definite yes, her readership still cooks) is an interesting nugget of information.

When asked to name an iconic American meal she didn't pick Roast Turkey with Herb Butter and Caramelized-Onion Gravy; Chili-Rubbed Rib-Eye Steak, Pico de Gallo, and Red Chili Onion Rings, or any of the other wonderful recipes culled from Bon Appétit's archives that are featured in this month's issue.

Rather she told the Post that the classic American meal was "Roast chicken and mashed potatoes." Here's to keeping things simple in the kitchen and to a very happy 50th birthday.

• The Globe has a guide to the best vegetarian restaurants in Boston.
• Some dinner ideas if you're having a graduation party, all involving penne pasta. Not really sure what makes these recipes "graduation" meals, but they gotta tie it into the month somehow.
• The wonderful world of homemade cheeses.
• We've all heard of King crabs and snow crabs, but what are Jonah crabs? Sounds like a really personal problem.
• Taste Kitchen: who makes the best 2% organic milk?
• This week's recipes: Legacy Apple Cake, Asparagus Soup, and a quick wine sauce for roast chicken.