Sunday Supper: Boursin Stuffed Chicken, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I love Sundays, mostly because I have lots of time. One thing I like to do with that time is cook, since it's rare that I cook much of anything that doesn't come out of a box on weeknights.

Tonight my sister came over for dinner and I prepared a yummy chicken dinner for the three of us which included Boursin Chicken, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

I have made the chicken recipe once before, and it comes from a cookbook that was a wedding gift from my aunt, Meet Us in the Kitchen: A Collection of Recipes and Stories from the Junior League of St. Louis.

To make the Boursin Chicken, you'll need:

5 ounces boursin cheese with herbs and garlic, softened

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; divided into 2 tablespoon parts each (I used dry; thus, I use less)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 wooden skewers or picks

First, combine the cheese, flour, carrots, walnuts and 2 tablespoons parsley in a bowl and blend well.

Pound each chicken breast into a 5 1/2-inch square. Place 1/4 of cheese mixture on each square. Fold in the sides and roll up; secure with wooden skewers or picks.

Next, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley in a shallow dish.

Brush the chicken roll-ups with melted butter. Roll in the bread crumb mixture.

Place on a wire rack in an 8X8-inch backing pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

I paired the chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts. (Hey, don't knock 'em till you try them!) I know that for most, Brussels sprouts conjure up unpleasant thoughts, and I'll admit this was my first time making these as well but they turned out VERY good and are very simple to make.

All you need is:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts (I halved this since I was cooking for 3, instead of 6.)

3 tablespoons of good olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Then, cut off the brown end of the sprouts, pull off any yellow, outer leaves and then cut each sprout in half (note: recipe calls for whole but most reviews prefer halves to get crispier sprouts. It's your call. Since I was roasting them along with baking chicken, I kept them in the full 40 minutes but only had the oven at 350).

Mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour them on to a metal sheet pan and roast for 35-40 minutes (note: watch carefully your may desire a shorter cooking time.) Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprout evenly.

I also added some Mashed Sweet Potatoes to the mix, loosely following a Paula Dean recipe and adding a few tricks of my own. I decreased the recipe due to only serving a few for dinner tonight, so here is the recipe as I did it.

You'll need:

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons honey (or more to taste, if you prefer sweeter)

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I freshly ground mine from sticks!)

kosher salt to taste

My own addition: Add about 5 dashes of very good, aged balsamic vinegar (we brought ours back from Italy and I could literally eat it like candy.)

Add the potatoes to a dutch oven and cover with water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, drain well. Return the potatoes to the dutch oven, and add the butter, honey, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon and salt. You could, beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth or I prefer to go at it with an old-school masher or pastry blender. Serve hot!

Served together, this makes for a colorful fall plate and a scrumptious Sunday Supper.

Give it a try!