Lemony Chicken Wings, Soaring Above the Rest

Served at a bar or at a casual summer gathering, chicken wings are crowd pleasers, whatever way you prepare them.

As a young cook, I learned from a chef friend how to properly butcher a chicken without wasting anything. The breasts and legs were swiftly removed, which if done well meant leaving behind as little meat as possible. The carcass, feet, wing tips and neck were then saved for broth, but to get even more from the bird, the meaty parts of the wings were turned into hors d’oeuvres or staff meals.

But you don’t have to be a frugal French chef butchering a dozen chickens to get a pile of wings on the table: Most supermarkets sell them packaged, of course. I prefer the hefty drumette part, but you can also use the midsection, the tips (which are near-meatless but still delicious) or the whole wings, with all three sections attached.

The wings can be dressed however you’d like. They’re just as delicious salted, peppered and roasted on a sheet pan as they are with a more complex marinade or sauce.

Many cooks take the classic Buffalo approach; the wings are deep fried, brushed with a zesty sauce and served with celery sticks and ranch dressing. Others still prefer a mild teriyaki seasoning. Korean-style wings are gaining in popularity, and there are countless Chinese variations. And, yes, there’s the “hot wing” trend, fueled by hordes of numb-tongued eaters, beers in hand, competing to devour the spiciest wings.

But at home the other night, I headed in a Greco-Italian direction. I wanted the wings to be very lemony, so more than a few sliced lemons were involved, as were olive oil, garlic and rosemary, plenty of black pepper and a good pinch of hot crushed red pepper.

The wings, baked on a bed of fingerling potatoes, emerged well bronzed and fragrant. I gave them another splash of lemon juice and a sprinkling of dried oregano.

The lemony wings and potatoes are delicious hot and crisp, but just as good at cool room temperature. It’s definitely finger food, though, whether you serve them indoors or out. So no silverware, please — just napkins.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Total time: About 1 1/2 hours

2 pounds very small potatoes, such as fingerlings, whole, or use medium-size yellow-fleshed potatoes, cut in halves or wedges

3 pounds chicken wings, preferably drumettes

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes, to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 small lemons, cut into 1/4-inch thick half-moon slices

6 large rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped

8 garlic cloves, minced, or 1/2 cup chopped green garlic shoots

1 cup dry white or rosé wine

Pinch of dried oregano (optional)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse potatoes with lukewarm water and pat dry.

2. Spread chicken wings out on a baking sheet or cutting board in a single layer. Season both sides of wings generously with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with red-pepper flakes as desired.

3. Transfer seasoned wings to a large bowl. Add olive oil, lemon slices, rosemary and garlic and toss well with (plastic-gloved) hands so everything is evenly coated.

4. Place potatoes on the bottom of a roasting pan. Arrange seasoned wings over potatoes in a single layer. Add wine and cover pan tightly with foil.

5. Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes, until potatoes are done. Remove foil and return the pan to the oven and bake about 20 minutes more, until wings are nicely browned. Using tongs, turn wings over and bake for another 20 minutes to brown the wings’ other side. Sprinkle with dried oregano, and serve hot or at room temperature.

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If you are eating chicken wings Buffalo-style, grab a beer by all means. But for these Mediterranean-style chicken wings, flavored with lemon, garlic and herbs, I’d prefer a bracing Mediterranean white wine. I might like a vermentinu, as vermentinos are called on the island of Corsica. They tend to be a little more linear and mineral than those from Liguria. Or perhaps a French white from Cassis, a town outside Marseilles. You could try Etna Biancos, made from the carricante grape, or Greek whites, made from assyrtiko or moschofilero. Eat these wings with gallons of dry rosé, if you are feeling all summery, or try a dry sparkling wine — good cava, if you want to stay Mediterranean. And you wouldn’t be wrong if you stuck with beer. — ERIC ASIMOV