I made up this rather elegant recipe one Sunday a few weeks back when I got tired of looking at a package of yellow split peas that had been in the cupboard for a very, very long time (no, I’m not going to tell). Embarrassing. Here’s what I did:

8 chicken drumsticks
1 1/2 cups yellow split peas
3 stalks celery, rinsed and trimmed
4 green onions
1 quart water
2 large potatoes, each cut into 4-5 thick slices
2 cloves garlic, peeled

In a large pot, place peas, water, garlic, celery and onion. Cook at least 1 hour, until peas are soft. Blend well with immersion blender until smooth. Pour into a dutch oven, and stir in the potatoes. Carefully lay chicken on top, cover, and cook at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Serve 1-2 drumsticks with 1-2 slices of potato per plate, along with generous amounts of “gravy.”

This is seriously delicious, and inspires many thoughts about an entirely new approach to gravy. Refrigerate the leftovers, and feel free to add 1-2 cups water to turn it into soup the next day if you’d like.