chicken picatta

i f-ed up mashed potatoes. yes i did. how is this even possible? i consider myself a fairly decent cook and i f up mashed potatoes? my mother-in-law is going to be so disappointed in me. (my in-laws are potato farmers. yes, you read that correctly). so i have to confess that i have not quite mastered the "smooth" mashed potato. lumps seem to be a common occurrence in my mashed potato making. however, this time was a different story. we had a gluey/sticky disaster! they had the consistency of paste. i googled away to find out how to fix. after 2 short minutes of reading the potato nonsense, i threw them in the garbage irritated and disappointed in myself. linguine as a side? sure. someday when i muster up the patience i will learn how to make perfect mashed potatoes.

chicken picatta

4 chicken breasts
2 tbl olive oil
3/4 c chicken broth
1-2 tbl capers, drained
2 tbl unsalted butter
1/4 c dry white wine
1 tbl garlic, minced
2 tbl lemon juice

1. pound the chicken with one of those kitchen mallet/hammer thingys until they are about 1/4 inch thick. pat dry and season with salt & pepper. dust each side with flour.
2. heat a saute pan with 2 tbl of olive oil. place chicken in pan and cook each side for 3 minutes or until brown. transfer chicken to a plate.
3. deglaze pan with wine and add garlic. cook for 2 minutes on low heat scraping brown bits off of the bottom of the pan.
4. add broth, lemon juice and capers. return chicken to pan and cook on medium-low heat for 2-5 minutes allowing chicken to cook thru.
5. transfer chicken again to a plate. add butter to sauce and stir until melted. pour sauce over chicken.
6. serve with un-gooey mashed potatoes or linguine with butter and parmesan cheese.