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Makes 6 appetizer servings
STEPHEN • These are my attempt to re-create the fantastic salt-and- pepper wings from a local NYC kitchen called La Poulette. I order them when I need something to pick up my spirits. They are very simple to make, and as my version is baked, not fried, I tell myself they are healthy.
EVIE • There are several things that Stephen turns to for comfort. Lord of the Rings is, of course, top of the list, and then old episodes of Veep, but these delicious yet easy chicken wings also are a go-to for calming the brain and restoring the spirit.
INGREDIENTS
Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves
Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert
2 pounds chicken wings (the kind that are already cut into “half-wings”)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vegetable oil for the wire rack
2 teaspoons finely ground pepper
Wash the wings and pat them as dry as possible. Place them on a paper towel–lined plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for an hour or two. The drier the skin, the crispier the wings will cook up.
Heat the oven to 250°F with a rack in the center position. While that’s happening, toss the wings in a mixture of 1 teaspoon of the salt and the baking powder. Use your hands to make sure the mixture is rubbed over all the wings. Lightly oil a cooling rack and set it over a baking sheet. Lay the wings out on it, with enough room between them for air to circulate.
Bake for 30 minutes. (The low oven temp helps with the skin drying/crisping.) Turn the oven up to 425°F and continue baking until the skin is browned and crisp, about 45 minutes. You may want to flip the wings for the last 15 minutes to even out the browning.
Remove the wings to a bowl and toss with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Enjoy the fatty, salty, crispy, happy.
From Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert. Reprinted by permission of Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group.
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