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Rachael revisits an old favorite meal of sautéed chicken with apples, pears + a generous splash of apple brandy on top of cheesy puréed potatoes—an update of a recipe she originally wrote in 2008. She wanted to bring it back because she and John planted some fruit trees several years ago, and they have a big crop of apples and a smaller crop of pears. As Rach says, it's such a silly-easy dish and crazy delicious.
If you have a bunch of apples, try making Easy Homemade Applesauce or Cheesy Stuffed Apples.
For the cheesy potatoes, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil, then salt the water and cook to tender.
Warm the half-and-half and butter in a small pot and season with white pepper and nutmeg to taste.
Drain potatoes and put through food mill back into the pot. Stir in the hot half-and-half and the cheese until combined. Cover pot to keep warm. (If holding for more than 15 to 20 minutes, place pot in a larger, wider pan with about 1 inch of simmering water.)
For the chicken, douse the apples and pears with a little lemon juice. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Place flour in a shallow dish and season with granulated onion, sage and thyme. Dredge the chicken with the seasoned flour and heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, 7 to 8 minutes, then remove. Add butter to pan and melt, then add apples and pears and season with a bit of salt and the sugar. Toss and sauté 2 to 3 minutes until tender-crisp. Add brandy, then stock, slide the chicken back into the pan and simmer 2 to 3 minutes more.
Serve potatoes topped with chicken and apples and pears and garnish with chives and thyme.