Whether you are a novice cook or a gourmand, having a few simple, well-thought out menus that you can always rely on is the key to effortless entertaining. These basic recipes become the backbone of my cooking repertoire, and are the ones that, in moments of panic, save me from disaster. Among them, there is nothing as easy, reliable, and comforting as a roast chicken dinner. The other day, I invited two couples to join me for dinner. It wasn’t a rare occurrence, as we are all part of the same pod and have been seeing each other regularly during the last few months. But as life has a funny way of adding difficulty, that same day I had meetings away from home and was scheduled to return an hour before my guests arrived. I didn’t want to change the date or cancel dinner, so I planned a classic, tried-and-true …