Sheet-Pan Dinners

We call R. B.’s house the Cave. His pals love his Shangri-la of music, motorcycles, guitars, cold beer, and firewood, where caveman chitchat comfortably drifts into menswear sales, paint colors, and advances in toaster oven technology. Turkey drums fit the Cave scene with ease. All rubbed and sauced, Caveman Drums enable cavemen to maintain cavelike machismo while tiptoeing around the perimeter of their feelings. Bottled wing sauces are a cheater cinch, but, c’mon, be a man. Brush on a cheater interstate sauce (pages 38 to 43). You better have some stored in the fridge.

Cheating doesn’t mean just opening a bottle. As our provider of primo Tennessee hardwood and traveling philosopher, Jerry Elston, likes to remind us, sometimes you can’t get out of doing the work. Like most bottled barbecue sauces, Asian-style sauces are cheater easy and get the point across. But usually they taste overly sweet and empty, with little going for them besides sugar and soy. Here’s a brush-on honey lacquer for dry-rubbed chicken with real Asian flavor using pantry staples and some freshly grated ginger.

Like fried chicken and good corn bread, oven drums are all about the crust. The key to Hot-Oven Drums is to get the skin working for you. Hot-Oven Drums are inspired by Nashville’s cultish hot pan-fried chicken that’s dusted-to-dredged in cayenne pepper. Proceed with caution! Here the skillet meets the oven. The bread crumbs, dry rub, and oil keep the Hot-Oven Drums crisp and the cayenne pepper, added right before cooking, lets you control the heat. Serve the drums just like chicken wings with ranch or blue cheese dressing and celery and carrot sticks. Eat them on your feet with a beer in the other hand and no worries about the red mess all over your face and hands.

Abbacchio, a long-ago Roman term for a newborn lamb, is the prescripted dish of Easter. And older than history is the innocent, rousing scent of it roasting with branches of wild rosemary, curling out from the kitchen doors of the trattorie in the Trastevere on Sundays in the spring, beckoning one to table together.

GOOD TO KNOW Cooking in parchment packets is a low-fat, no-mess technique for preparing eggs. Here, mushrooms and spinach—and a mere drizzle of olive oil—are baked along with the eggs for a delicious meal any time of day.

WHY IT’S LIGHT The salmon and green beans—along with capers and strips of lemon zest—are steamed in parchment (see page 18), with only one teaspoon olive oil per packet.

GOOD TO KNOW For a more satisfying meal, try incorporating just a small amount of a flavorful high-fat ingredient such as bacon or nuts into the low-calorie mix. Here pancetta is crisped in the oven for handsoff, splatter-free cooking, a method that works well for bacon, too.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Because they are baked, these “breaded” fish fillets are lower in fat—and much easier to prepare—than fried versions. Coating only the top of the fish with an herbed breadcrumb mixture also helps. Roasted broccoli makes the perfect seasonal side dish.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Sometimes roast chicken recipes call for softened butter to be spread over—or even under—the skin before putting the bird in the oven. Here, a mixture of parsley and thyme (and not butter) is spread under and on top of the skin of chicken thighs for added flavor, while honey and a small amount of olive oil brushed on top help keep the chicken moist.

FLAVOR BOOSTER A mixture of rosemary, paprika, and lime juice is rubbed over lean turkey before roasting; sweet potatoes cooked alongside soak up the flavorful pan juices, which are also drizzled over each serving. Serve with a side of sautéed leafy greens.

FLAVOR BOOSTER Roasting deepens salmon’s naturally mild flavor. Brussels sprouts also take especially well to roasting, becoming tender, slightly sweet, and undeniably delicious when seasoned with little more than salt and pepper.

GOOD TO KNOW Prepare flavorful sides to complement simply prepared fish (or other lean proteins) without introducing too many extra calories to the meal. Here, roasted tomatoes, potatoes, and a green herb sauce do the trick. If you prefer, remove the skin from the fillets before serving.

FLAVOR BOOSTER The carrots and tofu are both briefly marinated in a soy sauce mixture before being broiled. Scallions, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil lend other Asian elements. Be sure to use extra-firm tofu, as it will hold up better than other types of tofu.

GOOD TO KNOW Sweet-tasting butternut squash is easier to prepare than some other hard-skinned winter squashes, and is even sweeter when roasted until it caramelizes. It’s also extremely versatile: Toss it into a salad, slice it into “fries” and dust with spices, or drizzle roasted haves with maple butter.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Low-fat yogurt, garlic, and vinegar are combined in a creamy, tangy dressing—without a drop of oil. Walnuts roasted with the vegetables add satisfying crunch and not much fat.

Once the dish is assembled, braised chicken legs take less than an hour to cook, and they can be combined with almost any herbs, spices, and vegetables. Their meat is tender and succulent, their sauce concentrated and tasty. Legs are the best choice for a braise, but breasts may be included for those who prefer white meat. Just keep in mind that in order to remain tender and juicy, breasts need to cook for a much shorter time. Start by seasoning the legs with salt and pepper. If time allows, do this a day ahead. Leave the legs whole, or cut them through the joint to separate them into thighs and drumsticks. Brown them in a cast-iron or other heavy pan over medium heat, in a generous amount of oil, skin side down. Or for more flavor, use a mixture of oil and butter. It takes about 12 minutes to get the skin really crisp and golden brown. Take the time to do this or you will be disappointed in the end, because if there is only superficial color on the skin it will wash off in the braise, leaving the skin pale and unappetizing. Once the skin is browned, turn the pieces and cook briefly on the other side, about 4 minutes (there is no skin to crisp on this side and the meat will brown quickly). Remove the chicken legs from the pan and pour off the fat. Add wine, tomatoes, broth, or water to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook the aromatic vegetables in a bit of oil as directed or add them raw to the pan. Arrange the chicken legs, skin side up, on the vegetables, and pour in the deglazing juices and broth or water to come halfway up the sides of the legs. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover the pan, and cook for 45 minutes. Or bake in a 325° F oven. When the chicken legs are cooked, remove them from the pan and discard any loose herb stems or bay leaves or bouquet garni (squeezing it first to extract any juices). Strain the juices into a small pan or bowl and skim off all the fat. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. Reunite all the parts, plus any vegetables that have been cooked separately, and serve at once or reheat later. If there is too much sauce, reduce it to concentrate the flavors. The salt will concentrate, too, so don’t add any more until the sauce has finished reducing. When braising chicken breasts, do not remove the skin or the bones; they both contribute flavor and help keep the meat moist and tender. Remove the first two joints of the wing by cutting through the joint. Leave the breasts whole or cut them in two so that the thicker wing portion is slightly smaller. Season and brown the breast pieces with the legs. Add the browned breasts with their resting juices to the pan after the legs have been cooking for 30 minutes. There is another method for braising chicken legs. The legs are cooked in the oven, covered, until tender and uncovered and browned at the end. This works especially well when cooking for a crowd, but is not suitable for breasts. Nestle the seasoned legs, skin side down, into the aromatic vegetables (cooked or not, as required by the recipe) with the herbs and spices. Pour in enough wine and stock or water to reach halfway up the legs. To save time, bring the stock to a boil before adding. Cover the dish tightly and bake in a 350°F oven for 40 minutes, or until the legs are tender. Uncover the dish and turn the legs over. If the liquid is so deep it covers the legs, pour enough off to fully expose the skin and reserve it for later. Return the legs to the oven, uncovered, and cook until they are golden brown on top, about 20 minutes. Skim the sauce and serve as above.

A generous amount of carrots adds a sweet earthy taste to these chicken breasts. Using prunes lends additional rich flavor, and is a variation of popular Mediterranean dishes that combine poultry or meat with dried fruit.

En papillote (PAH-peh-loht) is French for “in paper,” which is how this dish is made. This method of cooking steams the food and allows you to cook without fat, but we did add a little butter, thyme, and lemon for flavor. This is a really simple, foolproof way to cook fish and, best of all, it makes for easy cleanup.

Recently I stumbled upon a package in the meat counter of my nearby supermarket that contained 1/3 pound each of ground beef, pork, and veal—just enough to make a small meatloaf for two, or for one with some welcome leftovers. I was elated, not only because I wanted to make a small meatloaf and I’d found it so hard to get the mix that I needed in modest amounts, but also because I felt it was a sign of the times. Maybe supermarkets are finally waking up to the fact that so many New Yorkers live alone and should be catered to, instead of forcing us to buy more than we need. So I took the package home and made myself this meatloaf, sneaking in a few French flavors to jazz it up a bit.

This is a nice dish for summer, when zucchini is abundant and the fingerlings are delicate

Fish in paper is a classic preparation that will totally make you feel like a rock star in the kitchen. It’s super-easy and it’s all about the presentation. All you have to do is toss some veggies and white fish in a parchment package along with some wine, and let them steam themselves. When your guests open their packages, they get a big burst of aromatic vapor and a lovely piece of gently cooked fish on perfectly cooked veggies. Just remember that because you seal the packages, you only get one shot to season everything—if you miss your opportunity then this will taste like a diet dish. You have to season well BEFORE you seal the deal.