(Mass Appeal) – It’s been a while since he’s been on Mass Appeal so we’re welcoming back to our kitchen Chef Mike Harrison with Bear Mountain Chestnut Hill Healthcare in East Longmeadow for two delicious recipes: Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Arugula Salad Topping and Hasselback Potatoes.

Sponsored by Bear Mountain Chestnut Hill Healthcare

Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Arugula Salad Topping

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 extra-large eggs

1¼ cups seasoned dry bread crumbs

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Unsalted butter

Good olive oil

Baby salad greens for 6,

Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Pound the chicken breasts until they are ¼-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper on a dinner plate. Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water in a large shallow bowl. On a second dinner plate, combine the bread crumbs and the ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, dusting off the excess, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and finally dredge both sides in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium-low heat and cook 2 chicken breasts at a time for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate (or keep warm in the oven; see below). Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts.

Toss the salad greens with the lemon vinaigrette. Place each chicken breast on a plate and pile mound of salad on top. Serve hot with shaved or grated Parmesan on top.

Lemon Vinaigrette (Makes 3/4 Cup)

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

½ cup good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Measure the lemon juice in a 1-cup glass measuring cup. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and whisk together.

Hasselback Potatoes

4 large potatoes, Yukon Gold, Russet, or Red Bliss

4 tablespoons 

melted butter, olive oil, duck fat, bacon fat, coconut oil, or a mix

Salt

Pepper

Optional extras: minced fresh herbs, spices, grated cheese, bread crumbs, panko crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 425°F. Arrange a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat to 425°F.

Wash and dry the potatoes. Scrub 4 potatoes clean and pat them dry. Alternatively, you can peel the skins off.

Cut slits in the potatoes, leaving the bottom intact. Cut parallel slits into each potato, stopping just before you cut through so that the slices stay connected at the bottom of the potato. Space the slices 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch apart. You can rest the potato in a large serving spoon (or on 2 wooden chopsticks) and use that as a guide for when to stop slicing – slice straight down and when your knife hits the edge of the spoon, stop slicing.

Brush the potatoes with half the fat. Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish. Brush the potatoes all over with 2 tablespoons of butter or other fat, including the bottoms.

Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the potatoes generously with salt and pepper.

Bake 30 minutes, then brush with more fat. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. At this point, the layers will start separating. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes again with the remaining 2 tablespoons of fat – you can nudge the layers apart if they’re still sticking together. Make sure some of the fat drips down into the space between the slices.