Sunday
The chicken roasts over potatoes and lemons. Dinner comes out, and so do drippings worth saving. Before bed, the meat comes off the bones for the week, and the carcass goes into the freezer for broth.
Monday
Peppers and onions go into the cast iron, on the grill, or into the oven until they’re charred at the edges and sweet in the middle. Some go in the fridge for the week’s breakfasts. The rest go under Sunday’s chicken, warmed in the same pan for dinner.
Tuesday
Breakfast is a scoop of beans, those charred peppers and a jammy egg, all out of the skillet. Dinner is roasted red peppers and chickpeas cooked down until glossy, in the same pan.
Thursday
Whatever is left goes back into the skillet with a spoonful of the saved drippings. Nobody calls it leftovers if you warm it in the same pan.
When the freezer bag of bones is full, it becomes broth. The broth goes into the next pot of beans, and the whole thing starts again.
One skillet, a week of meals, and it never sees the dishwasher. A wipe, a little oil, and it’s ready for Sunday.
Keep reading: Four jobs, four fresh ingredients →