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Mary Mac's Tea Room Fried Chicken and Tomato Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Fried & True" by Lee Schrager


Recipe Introduction

"In Atlanta, a 'tea room' isn't a place for finger sandwiches and Earl Grey, but rather a traditional 'meat-and-three' dressed up just enough to suit occasions ranging from a workaday lunch to a family celebration. There used to be sixteen such establishments in Atlanta, but now there's only one: Mary Mac's. Originally opened in 1945, this warren of comfortable rooms serves a tasty combination of classic Southern food and Atlanta history. Photos of politicians, celebrities, and plain old patrons are featured alongside ephemera that tell the story of Mary Mac's three owners and those staff members who have been in the restaurant's employ for decades. The labyrinthine kitchen balances the high volume with a devotion to batch-by-batch quality. Mary Mac's chicken, fried and then steamed for optimum juiciness and crunch, has been on the menu since day one. The guilty-pleasure tomato pie is a more recent addition, now one of Mary Mac's most popular sides since being introduced a few years ago."

List of Ingredients

◦ 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, giblets reserved if possible
◦ 2 teaspoons sea salt
◦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
◦ � cup buttermilk
◦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
◦ � teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
◦ 1 cup peanut oil


Recipe

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper; let stand for 15 minutes.

Place the buttermilk in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the flour with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the white pepper. In a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet with a lid, heat the oil to 375� F (very hot but not smoking). Working one piece at a time, dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then in the flour mixture, reserving on a tray until ready to fry.

Place the larger pieces of chicken in the pan, skin side down, then fit the smaller pieces around them, making sure as much of the surface of the chicken as possible is touching the skillet directly. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until the underside is browned and crisp, 9 to 10 minutes. Uncover, flip the chicken, add the giblets (if available), then cover and cook until the second side is browned and crisp, 9 to 10 minutes. Uncover and carefully add 1 cup water to the skillet in a slow stream, cover, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Serves 4






❧ Tomato Pie:

◦ 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing
◦ 2 medium onions, very thinly sliced
◦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
◦ 2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed by hand or in a food processor (about 2 � cups crushed)
◦ 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
◦ 2 cups mayonnaise
◦ 1 � cups (6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
◦ 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or domestic Parmesan cheese)
◦ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 350� F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch oval baking dish with oil and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, 8 to 9 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside. Scatter 1 cup cracker crumbs in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour one can tomatoes, juice included, over the crackers. Layer half the onions on top of the tomatoes; repeat the layering with the remaining can of tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle 1 cup cracker crumbs over the top onion layer.

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and basil. Spread over the top of the layers and top with the remaining � cup cracker crumbs. Bake the pie until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

Serves 8 to 10