Soul Satisfying Southern Comfort

This is the kind of soul satisfying meal I'm talkin' about!

What is  comfort? In my estimation it a feeling that is warm, inviting, and satisfying; like every positive memory of being held close by your mom and made to feel safe.  Every once in a while we need a little comfort. Food gives us that sensation of love, when a meal is done right. Good food is love. Now, a good meal can not replace a love-filled hug from your momma, but it can sure satisfy your soul. My friend Darryl and I decided that we needed to have a little of that love, so we made dinner together. The result was fried chicken with sweet-hot Carolina dipping sauce, mashed potatoes, succotash, biscuits, and poundcake with peaches and cream for dessert*. We invited a few friends to join us, Ria and Beatriz and had a great time. My thanks to Beatriz for taking the photographs for this post. I typically do not eat like this; however, occasionally you just

Darryl, my partner in crime

have to have a good piece of fried chicken, and then you have to have it cold as a leftover the next day--that's when you know it is good. If you can enjoy fried chicken cold the next day then you have done it right! Well I have to tell you, Darryl and I did this chicken so right! It was delicious. You will love this recipe. It is a bit time consuming, but it is worth it.

Fried Chicken Ingredients
Brine Recipe
1/2 cup Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
2 quarts Water
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Chicken Preparation
3-4 pounds of chicken (used boneless, skinless breasts and thighs)
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons water
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Sweet-Hot Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 cups Hot Sauce (we used Texas Pete's, but I like Frank's, too)
5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
5 tablespoons of peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of molasses
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

1. For the chicken: dissolve 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup sugar in 2 quarts cold water in large container. place washed chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
2. Whisk flour, cornstarch, granulated garlic, baking powder, pepper, salt and paprika together in large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water to flour mixture; using your fingers, rub flour mixture and water together until water is evenly incorporated and shaggy pieces of dough form.

 3. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Working with 1 piece at a time, remove chicken from brine, letting excess drip off; dredge chicken in flour mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer to prepared rack. Refrigerate chicken, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
4. Set second wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line half of rack with triple layer of paper towels. Add peanut oil (if you are dealing with allergies vegetable oil is fine) to large Dutch oven until it measure 2 inches deep and heat over medium high heat to 350℉. Add half of chicken to pot and fry until breast register 160℉ and thighs, drumsticks and wings register 175℉, 13-16minutes. (Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 325℉ and 350℉. )
5. Transfer chicken to paper towel-lined side of prepared rack. Let chicken drain on each sided for 30 seconds, then move to unlined side of rack. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. let check cool for 10 minutes. 
6. For the sauce, whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Microwave, covered, until hot (about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. You can either serve sauce on the side or transfer chicken to shallow platter and spoon sauce over chicken.

Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are pretty easy to make. I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes. They cook up nicely and they tend to be naturally creamy.
Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes
Butter
Cream
Salt
Pepper
Notice I did not give measurements. The reason being, some recipes you just do by feel. This is one of them. Regarding the number of potatoes, I think if you are using Yukon Gold, they tend to be smaller, so I think if you estimate two potatoes per person and a few to grown on for leftovers, you should be good.
Directions:
Wash and cut the potatoes into quarters. No need to peel them, Darryl reminds me that the peel is where the nutrition lives. We laugh because after all the butter and cream we add, there needs to be some comfort in knowing that we have some extra fiber to balance out the fat. Place the cut potatoes in salted water and bring to a boil. You will know when they are done because you will be able to stick a fork in them and not experience any resistance. Once the potatoes are ready, drain the water and then mash them with a potato masher. It's old school but that's what makes it comfort food. Some people like to bring out a hand mixer, and that's fine if you want whipped potatoes, but sometimes you just need the rustic chunkiness of a mashed potato, lumps and all! As you are mashing, add a stick of butter. That's right, a whole stick if you have a few pounds of potatoes. Add cream sparingly until the potatoes are the consistency you like. Don't over cream or else you will have soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Darryl's Southern Succotash
1 TBS of Olive Oil
1 large Vidalia Onion, diced
3 Ears of Corn, remove kernels from cobs
2 Cans of Lima beans
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Dice the onion. Remove the corn from cob. (Tip: place a small bowl upside down inside of a large bowl and stand the corn large end on top of bowl bottom. Using sharp knife, remove kernels by running the knife from top to bottom while rotating each ear.) Open the cans of Lima Beans and drain the liquid.
Heat oil in a large skillet. I suggest a cast iron one, if you have it. (It's authentically Southern.) Blonde the onions until soft (about 13 minutes). Add corn and cook through. Add beans and continue to stir fry until all vegetables are firm and cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste. 
Well, there it is. A Southern Comfort meal that was as enjoyable to eat as it was to prepare. Thanks to Darryl for the inspiration. I love cooking with him. We share seasoning sensibilities. Stay tuned, we will be launching a new cooking adventure in the near future. Be on the look out for L and D's Big Booty Kitchen.
* See Farm Fresh Post for recipe