I heart my pressure cooker, and Nigella!

I already used my pressure cooker again. I don't think I've ever completed a batch of homemade mashed potatoes in such a short amount of time. It is just so fast, I love it and looking forward to using my pressure cooker more often now. I don't know wha took me so long to use it in the first place!

Nigella provided tonights main course. Chicken is one of those things you can never have too many different ways of preparing. I really do love my "Nigella Express" cookbook. This was an entirely unhealthy way to roast a whole chicken, but surely quite a yummy way to roast a chicken! I used maple-flavored bacon and I cannot tell you how yummy my kitchen smelled while it was cooking. I wish I could watch Nigella on TV but she grates on my nerves for some reason, oh well, at least her cookbook is great! :-)

Brandied-Bacony Chicken

(from "Nigella Express)

1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chicken

2 strips bacon (I used maple flavored)

1/4 cup brandy

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small frying pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until it's crisp and the pan full of gorgeous bacony fat, about 4 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, the bacon out of the pan and straight into the cavity of the chicken, sitting the chicken breast side up in a roasting pan as you do so.

Pour the brandy into the still hot frying pan with bacon grease and let bubble for a minute. Pour the brandy mixture over the chicken. Place the roasting pan into the hot oven and roast for 45 minutes, making sure juices run clear between leg and body. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with bacon pieces from cavity of chicken.

Quick Garlic Mashed Potatoes

(adapted from "Pressure Cooking for Everyone")

3 pounds medium red-skinned potatoes peeled & cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 medium sized yellow onion, quartered

4 cups water

8 large garlic cloves crushed under a knife & peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a 5 to 7 quart pressure cooker, combine the potatoes, onion, water, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lock the lid in place. Bring to high pressure over high heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and quick release pressure. Open the lid, tilting away from you to block any escaping steam. Open the lid, tilting it away from you to block any escaping steam. Drain well.

Return the potatoes, onion, and garlic to the warm cooker. Using an electric mixer or potato masher (I used a masher to disguise the onion into the mix), mash the potatoes with half-and-half, butter, and cheese. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve hot.