A sheet-pan "tagine" recipe for a weeknight trip to Morocco
Melissa Clark's one-pan recipe from "Dinner in One" is tender, juicy, and easy!
Hello! Hello!
I’m guessing I speak for so many others when I say that I consider Melissa Clark a friend in my kitchen. While I’ve always loved her recipes and stories and the column she writes for The New York Times, I came to depend on her for inspiration during the long early months of the pandemic, when Melissa was publishing a new recipe every day for NYT Cooking. We were cooking every day and so was she. Many of us were cooking with more limited pantries than usual. She got that. And many of us were cooking more regularly, more often and for more people than usual. She got that too. Melissa always gets it. For all her training and her long and fascinating experience, Melissa is a home cook. And a pal to home cooks. It’s one of the many things I love about her. And one of the many things you come to recognize immediately in her latest book, just out a few weeks ago, Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals.
Photo of Melissa Clark: Amy Richardson, ©2016. Reprinted from Dinner In One. Copyright © 2022 by Melissa Clark. Photographs copyright © 2022 by Linda Xiao. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.
“One pan” for Melissa means several different pans, but only one kind of pan at a time. So for instance, there are chapters that highlight sheet pans, skillets, casseroles or soup pots, as well as one on instant pots & multicookers. And because dinner should always end with dessert — and because Melissa is such a good baker — one-bowl cakes.
A TAGINE THAT’S NOT A TAGINE
Ever since I discovered Paula Wolfert’s early book, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco (she later wrote The Food of Morocco), I’ve been fascinated by the flavors of North Africa. (And fascinated by the life and work of Paula Wolfert – if you don’t know who she is, take a look at Unforgettable. Paula changed the food world!) I’ve never been to Morocco, but I can catch the scent of the spice markets in my imagination. And in my kitchen. The mix of warm spices, oil, lemon, sweet vegetables and fruit, that comprise a tagine is comfortingly familiar to me and always satisfying.
Colorful tagines from Morocco (if you have your own, I would photograph that)
I was thrilled when I bought my first tagine. The word “tagine” refers to both the dish itself — which can be based on vegetables, fish, fowl or meat — and the beautiful pottery that it’s traditionally cooked in. The “casserole” has a bowl-like base and a distinctive cone-shaped top. The steam from the food rises up the cone and returns to the base as tasty, fragrant liquid. In a tagine, nothing is lost — the casserole captures and holds on to the essence of the dish. When you lift the cone, that first whiff is one of the great pleasures of cooking.
Chicken tagine with sweet potatoes and prunes from AROUND MY FRENCH TABLE. Photo: Alan Richardson
Like a culinary magician, Melissa has found a way to give us all the pleasures of a traditional North African chicken tagine in a fast, easy and brilliant sheet-pan rendition. It starts with the perfect combination of herbs and spices — and I love how Melissa instructs us to rub them into the chicken pieces and then rub them under the skin. You’ll be doing this every time you season a chicken from now on. And then there’s the lovely mix of sweet vegetables — carrots and sweet potatoes. And the fruits — dates and olives. When I made the tagine, I went to grab the bag of dates and discovered that they weren’t dates at all. Instead, they were figs. And you know what? They were excellent in the recipe. And I know that Melissa would have been happy that I carried on, because not only is she that kind of easy-going cook, but she encourages us to be that way too. With each recipe, she offers suggestions under the heading of “Swap it Out."
With this tagine, everything bakes to tender on the sheet pan and, in the process, the juices from the chicken combine with the olive oil and the spices to create a “sauce” that’s luscious. Melissa suggests you make couscous, the traditional North African accompaniment to a tagine, to catch the juices. Follow her suggestion. It will make you and everyone around your table happy.
While I don’t usually do “themes”, I’m officially declaring this a Sheet Pan Moment. Can’t wait to show you what I’ve got lined up for you next. See you back here soon.
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ROASTED CHICKEN “TAGINE” WITH DATES, OLIVES, AND LEMON
Photo: Mary Dodd
GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START
The chicken: The recipe can accommodate any part of the chicken, but as Melissa points out in the directions, white meat will cook faster than dark, so if you mix things up, you might need to pull some pieces out before others.
The rub: I loved that Melissa says to rub the spice mixture all over the chicken pieces and under the skin. It's great advice.
The fruits and vegetables: Scroll down to see Melissa's suggestions for "swap outs". If you decide to go with different vegetables - for instance, should you decide to replace the carrots or potatoes with winter squash - just make sure to keep the size of the vegetable slices similar. And don't be afraid to switch things up - this is the kind of recipe that encourages and welcomes playing around.
The go-alongs: Melissa suggests warming up a flatbread while the chicken is in the oven or serving the tagine with couscous (which is what I did). Even a hunk of baguette would be good with this.
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
3/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, or a combination)
1/2 pound carrots, halved lengthwise (or quartered, if thick)
1/2 pound sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch-thick wedges
1 lemon, quartered
1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) pitted dates, sliced
1 cup mixed olives (with or without pits)
1/2 cup torn fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley, or a combination), for serving
Photo: Mary Dodd
DIRECTIONS
Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, the tomato paste, turmeric, paprika, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and rub the paste all over them, including under the skin. Arrange the chicken on a rimmed sheet pan.
In the same bowl (you don’t need to wash it first), toss together the carrots, sweet potatoes, remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Arrange the vegetables on the sheet pan with the chicken. Add the lemon quarters to the pan. Roast for 20 minutes.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven, then scatter the dates and olives in an even layer around the chicken among the vegetables. Drizzle with a little more oil, then return to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes for the white meat, and 15 to 20 minutes for the dark meat.
Photo: Mary Dodd
To serve, transfer the chicken to a platter and spoon the vegetables, dates, and olives next to it. Squeeze with the roasted lemon and scatter with the herbs.
SWAP IT OUT: You can substitute whole cherry tomatoes and mushrooms for the carrots and/or sweet potatoes. Add enough to surround the chicken without crowding the pan.
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A sheet-pan "tagine" recipe for a weeknight trip to Morocco
I have made this twice and it is terrific as well as easy! My guests at both dinner parties raved. It looks beautiful as well.