I love roasted chicken. I’ve been making it for many years now, and its rustic simplicity is always appealing. Plus, whole chickens tend to be pretty cheap, and often go on sale. Another bonus is that if you’re cooking for one or two, you’re left with lots of leftover meat that you can use for salads, sandwiches and all other sorts of recipes. This whole chicken cost $4.87 and made 5 servings at 97 cents per serving.

Roast chicken takes a little time, but is otherwise really easy: crank up your oven to 375, and while it’s heating up, get your chicken ready. The possibilities here are endless. You can smother the outside in harissa (an awesome Moroccan chili paste), stuff herbs or pesto between the skin and the breast, fill the cavity with herbs and lemon halves, anything. Lately I’ve just been taking spice rubs and rubbing them all over the skin, with a little olive oil to help it crisp.

This time, I used NoMU’s Smoky Peri-Peri Rub, but some other ideas are herbs de provence, curry powder, taco seasoning, even just salt and pepper. None of the flavors are going to penetrate every last bit of meat, so it’s not too hugely important. I also had some leftover fresh herbs (tarragon and sage, I think) in the fridge, so I put those in the cavity along with a halved lemon.

Once you’ve got the prep done, put the chicken in the oven. There are a couple schools of thought here. one says put it in breast down for the first 20 or so minutes, so the underside of the bird gets more cooked through; the other says put it in breast side up and just leave it. Lately, I’ve been putting the breast side down first, as it seems to keep it from drying out a bit more, and it gives the thighs and legs some more direct heat. Either way, plan on letting it cook for about an hour. I can’t say exactly an hour, because a lot really depends on your oven. The best way to know when it’s done is with an instant-read thermometer. The government says you should cook chicken to 180 degrees, but if you want to do that, skip making the chicken and chew on your shoe instead. I usually shoot for about 160 at the deepest point of the breast, then take the chicken out and let it rest for about 10 minutes, during which it will continue to cook inside, despite being outside the oven.

Yum yum. Serve it with your favorite vegetables on the side. I usually like to keep things simple and just have some salad and steamed broccoli or something, and if we’re feeling particularly decadent, we’ll have gravy as well.

If you’ve got leftovers, you could do something like a curried chicken salad, or use it to make the awesome Chicken and Leek Pie we featured a few weeks back.

I like lamb — it’s a nice change from beef when you want some meat, and it’s got a slightly more interesting flavor. Plus, it goes along really well with lots of things I love, like garlic and herbs, which all feature in this recipe from Jamie Oliver for Tray-baked Lamb with Eggplant, Tomatoes, Olives, Garlic and Mint Oil that comes from his Happy Days with the Naked Chef book.

I got the idea to make it after noticing some lamb on sale for 50% off at the store when I was doing the shopping. I don’t think lamb is all that popular for home cooking, really, and this stuff’s sell-by date was getting close. So perhaps if you want to try and grab some lamb on the cheap, go to the store and check out when the lamb they have has to be sold, then return closer to, or on, that date to try and get the markdown. It’s still not the cheapest ingredient you’ll buy, but eating lamb chops with sides for less than $5 per person isn’t too shabby. You could try this with other cuts of lamb if you want to cut your costs even more, though I’ve not tried that myself. Just be mindful of the cooking time, since overcooked lamb isn’t too great. Anyhow, with the lamb on sale, this made 3 servings at $4.44 per serving.

This recipe is pretty straightforward and simple, using the strong flavors of the herbs and garlic, and not really requiring anything too fancy. Take out your lamb chops, season with salt and pepper, then put them in a hot pan to brown. Meanwhile, slice your eggplant into about inch-thick slices, then cut your tomatoes in half. The original recipe says to fry the eggplant slices in some olive oil, but I think you can leave this out.

Put the eggplant in your baking dish, then put the tomatoes alongside them, and then your chops. Chuck in the garlic — unpeeled — and tear up some fresh basil (or you could use some dried oregano, I think fresh rosemary would be nice too) over the vegetables. Pop it in the oven at 400 for roughly 30 minutes. You’ve really got to keep an eye on it so the lamb doesn’t get overcooked, especially if you left the chops on to brown too long. And if you’re using chops that are already cut, like the ones we had, as opposed to full racks, like in the original recipe, your cooking time will be shorter. Also, as I’m writing this, I realize the recipe calls for a handful of olives to be put in about 5 minutes from time. I never noticed that before… and have never done it. Perhaps I’ll try it next time, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on much.

While that’s in the oven, make your mint sauce, which really brings everything together in this dish. The recipe says to use a blender, but I don’t find this to work too well. You could try a mini-food processor, if you have one, or just finely chop your mint by hand, then add your vinegar and oil in a bowl. Personally, I think 6 tablespoons of olive oil in the sauce is way too much, but do whatever suits you. The sauce should really be about the mint, so you don’t want to add too much liquid to thin it out.

When the lamb’s done and the veggies are nice and soft, take everything out. I like to squeeze the garlic out of its paper (it should have gone all soft and sweet by now) onto the vegetables. Then plate it up and have lots of the mint sauce on hand! I find this meal really satisfying, a great blend of meat and vegetables. It’s also great for guests, I think, since it’s one of those ones that seems like it took a lot more effort than it really did