This week for Eating In we thought we’d venture a little out of the city, but not too far and still metro accessible, to the ever-expanding area of Chevy Chase. Right off Wisconsin Ave. is Lia's, the little sister to the Chef Geoff’s restaurants. Chef Geoff Tracy's inspiration for Lia’s came from an internship he completed at Galileo’s, combined with a trip to Italy — and decided to open a restaurant that is focused on Italian and Mediterranean ingredients, as opposed to the contemporary continental cuisine offered at Chef Geoff’s. Lia’s does, however, share a few similarities to its counterpart like Sunday brunch, great happy hour specials, and half price wine night (Geoff’s is Monday and Lia’s is Sunday).

We started everything off with a sampling of cured meats, Prosciutto Gnocchi with Spring Onions, and the special salad of the day, which was a combination of asparagus, tomato, olives, and prosciutto. For our main course we indulged in Natural Chicken with Peppers, Mushrooms, Artichokes, and Roasted Potatoes and Tuna Arborio with Rapini, Potato Crespelle and Shrimp-Crab Moscato Butter. Although we loved both items, we chose the Natural Chicken for our featured dish, not wanting to torture anyone (although Sous Chef Dan Farber tried to persuade us) by having you make Crespelles, Shrimp-Crab Moscato Butter, and never mind the crust of ground Arborio; not that we doubt your culinary proficiencies. The Natural Chicken sums up the Lia’s vibe pretty well -- simple and delicious.

*When ordered at the restaurant, the chicken breast comes skin-on with the bone. Of course, you can choose your preference of skin or no skin and with bone or with out. The dish was served with fingerling potatoes and these also can be substituted with a different kind (we used red Bliss), although cooking time will vary. For the mushrooms, we bought a mix pack of “exotic” mushrooms and creminis. The sauce was made with a beef demi, which can be quite laborious, so we simplified it for you. This recipe serves 2.

Shopping List:
2 skin-on chicken breasts
1 small red bell pepper
1 small yellow bell pepper
1 small orange bell pepper
1 6 oz. package mixed mushrooms (or choose 6 oz of loose mushrooms of your choice)
1 small jar artichokes
4 oz (weight) of mixed olives
½ pound red bliss potatoes
1 qt. beef broth (we used Kitchen Basics)
½ tbsp butter
½ tbsp AP flour
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Medium dice the potatoes. Toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and are golden brown.
3. In a medium pot, melt the butter and stir in the flour until it is completely incorporated. Add 1 quart of beef broth and simmer for 30-40 minutes until it reduces and thickens.
4. Julienne, cut into medium strips, half of the red, yellow and orange bell pepper. Quarter 3 artichokes. Trim and slice the mushrooms.
5. Roughly chop the olives and place to the side.

Finishing:
6. When the potatoes are finished, heat a medium size sauté pan to a med/high heat. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Add about ½ tbsp of olive oil to the pan and place the chicken in, skin side down. Reduce to a medium heat. Sauté until the skin becomes golden and slightly crispy (about 10 minutes). Turn chicken over and continue to cook another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Periodically, spoon some of the pan drippings over the skin to maintain the crispy, yet juicy skin.
7. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest. In the same sauté pan, add the peppers and cook on a med/high heat. After about 3-4 minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the mushrooms. Sauté an additional 2-3 minutes. Toss in the artichokes.
8. In a small sauté pan, heat the reduced broth until it bubbles. Stir in the chopped olives.
9. Slice the chicken breast and serve with potatoes, sautéed vegetables and potatoes.