Evening 05
The Greek Table
Everything on one tray at 425°F, and a cake on the counter when she walks in.
The one that looks like a taverna. Chicken thighs roasted on top of lemon potatoes with feta and olives thrown over the tray, whipped feta and warm pita to start, and an olive oil cake that was already on the counter when she walked in. Everything on the plate is Greek, everything hot is on one tray, and the cake is the first thing she sees. We have never had a bad report on this one.
- Cost for two, drinks in
- $106
- Active time, all courses
- 57 min
- Courses
- 4
- Allergens
- Milk, Tree nuts, Wheat, Eggs
starter
Whipped Feta with Honey & Pistachios
A pale, swooped mound of something creamy with a pool of gold honey and a scatter of green nuts is the signature starter at every Mediterranean restaurant with a waiting list.
The card →
main
Lemon Chicken & Crispy Potatoes
A platter of golden chicken sitting on crisped, lemony potatoes with feta and olives looks like it came from a Greek taverna with a wood oven.
The card →
dessert
Olive Oil Cake
A single, golden, slightly cracked round cake with powdered sugar snowed over it and a heap of berries in the middle looks like something a grandmother in a coastal town has made every Sunday for sixty years.
The card →
drink
The 7:30 Spritz — and The 7:29
A pale pink drink in a frosted glass with a rosemary sprig standing up in it looks like it came from the cocktail bar where the bartender has a mustache.
The card →
Start at 5:30. Hands off from 7:15. Stove mode follows the clock while you cook.
The 7:30 Timeline
Read it bottom-up if you like; cook it top-down.
Done before she arrives
Why it works
The oven plan
350°F from 5:35; the cake goes in at 5:55 for 38 minutes, is checked at 6:33, out by 6:40, and the oven goes OFF. 425°F from 7:00; the chicken tray goes in on the middle rack at 7:15 for 50 minutes. Pita triangles on the lower rack at 7:37 for 5 minutes. Tray out at 8:05 and the oven goes off. One tray, one cake pan, one small tray or foil sheet for the pita, and the two temperatures never overlap.
The oven does two jobs in sequence and never two at once. The cake bakes at 350°F from 5:55 to 6:33 while you build the chicken tray, the oven goes off at 6:40 and back on to 425°F at 7:00, and the tray goes in at 7:15 for fifty minutes. The dip is stirred cold, the pita toasts under the chicken at 7:37, and the finished cake sits on the counter all evening doing the hosting for you. Four lemons do the whole night, zested once.
Before you shop
One list, four cards
Four lemons do everything: two zested for the cake and then juiced, 2 tablespoons for the cake and the rest for the chicken toss; one zested and half-juiced into the dip; one cut into wedges for the tray. Two blocks of feta: the dip takes a whole one, the tray takes half of the other. One bottle of olive oil for the whole night, and the cake alone takes three-quarters of a cup, so check the level before you shop. Dried oregano, one jar, chicken only. Pistachios and mint for the dip, berries and powdered sugar for the cake, and one bottle of honey, dip only.
The reveal
The plate and the table
Dip out at 7:45, swooped on a wide plate, honey in the groove, pistachios and mint, pita on one side. At 8:10 either plate it or carry the tray to the table: a pile of potatoes and onion, two thighs on top skin up and overlapping, the tray juices over the potatoes only, feta and olives across everything, a roasted lemon wedge on the rim. The cake comes to the table whole at 8:45, snowed with powdered sugar, berries heaped in the middle, and you cut it there; the table has been set since 7:20, with one candle, the lamp, and the extra olives in a small bowl between you.
The whole evening, on your fridge.
This Timeline is in the Playbook with five more. Or start with the free one: The First Bulletproof Dinner.