Author Notes
My mother makes the best roast chicken. To me, roast chicken means home, wherever I am. She taught me to make this when she was sick in bed with my chicken pox, when I was about thirteen. My mom lives 8,000 miles away, and I think of her every time I eat or make this chicken, which is often. The herbs can obviously be varied, according to the season. The result is crispy skin, falling-apart tender meat, with delicious, sticky potatoes. No oil or butter is added. The high temperature is important. —Marie Viljoen
Ingredients
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1
Organic chicken
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1
Shallot, peeled and split
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3
Garlic cloves, peeled
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3 sprigs
fresh Thyme
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2 sprigs
Tarragon
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1
Slice of lemon
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Salt and pepper
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5
Red potatoes
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1
Lemon's juice
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1 cup
Water
Directions
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Preheat oven to 450'F.
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Place shallot, herbs, lemon and some salt and fresh black pepper in cavity of chicken.
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Slice potatoes into rounds, not too thin or thick and lay in the bottom of a cast iron skillet.
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Place chicken on top of potatoes.
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Tuck garlic cloves under chicken.
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Squeeze the lemon's juice over the chicken, and season it liberally with salt and pepper.
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Pour the water into the pan. This helps turn the potatoes creamy and forms a wonderful pan juice.
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Put into the hot oven and roast for about an hour and twenty minutes. Turn the heat down to 425 after 45 minutes. No basting is called for: the skin will be perfectly brown and crisp.
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Allow to rest for ten minutes before carving.
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