panko crusted mustard chicken/smashed turnips with horseradish

I feel like the lighting at Nathan's apartment always gives me problems; the food never looks particularly appetizing in photos... Anyway, even if it didn't photograph the way I would have wanted, this was a pretty great meal: chicken breast crusted in mustard and panko breadcrumbs, a little salad, sauteed turnip greens, and a horseradish scallion turnip mash.




The chicken breast was a rare foray into a cookbook recipe for us. I feel like I spend so much of my time perusing food blogs, finding different recipes and saving the links in a draft in my gmail, that I always just draw from there, forgetting that I have physical books filled with professional recipes. I should really utilize them more often, because Nathan and I have some great cookbooks.

The chicken was moist and flavorful. I love mustard, and it worked really well here. We had a slight problem getting the panko to coat it evenly, but overall it was nice and crispy and delicious. I see in typing up the recipe for you that there is an accompanying dijon sauce which we didn't make for some reason, but it sounds yummy so I will include it.

I don't have a ton to say about the turnip greens and the salad, but I do want to tell you how awesome the mashed turnip with horseradish was. Turnips are naturally a little sweet, and that played really nicely off the spice of the horseradish. The dish was a little bit rustic and lumpy, but I actually liked it that way, with a little texture. The scallions were a nice finishing touch, and not just because they added some much needed color. All in all, it was a delicious meal that I would definitely make again.




Dijon Chicken with Panko Crust
from The Sunset Cookbook, page 363.

Chicken Breast
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
½ cup panko
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1½ tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
8 skinned, boned chicken breast halves (6 to 7 oz. each)

Dijon Sauce
(optional)
½ cup mayo
¼ cup dijon mustard
½-1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, mustard, and garlic. In another bowl, mix panko, parmesan, and parsley.
One at a time, turn chicken breast halves in butter mixture to coat completely. Dip rounded side of each breast in panko mixture. Place breasts crumb side up in a 10- by 15-inch baking pan.
Bake chicken in a 500° oven until crumbs are golden and breasts are no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 15 minutes. Place 1 or 2 breast halves on each dinner plate.
Accompany with Dijon sauce (if using), which is made by simply mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Smashed Turnips With Horseradish
recipe adapted from one by The Meatball Shop's Daniel Holzman as published in New York Magazine

2 pounds turnips
½ bunch scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp freshly grated horseradish
½ cup sour cream
2 tsp salt

Trim the stems and greens off the turnips and save for another use (I sauteed them with garlic which was delicious. Try them with bacon grease and a little red wine vinegar too). Cut the turnips into quarters, and cover with water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until turnips are fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Strain until completely dry. Place the turnips in a large bowl while they’re still hot, and add the remaining ingredients. Mash with a whisk or a potato masher until well combined but still chunky.