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
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
1
Organic chicken
-
1
Shallot, peeled and split
-
3
Garlic cloves, peeled
-
3 sprigs
fresh Thyme
-
2 sprigs
Tarragon
-
1
Slice of lemon
-
Salt and pepper
-
5
Red potatoes
-
1
Lemon's juice
-
1 cup
Water
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 450'F.
-
Place shallot, herbs, lemon and some salt and fresh black pepper in cavity of chicken.
-
Slice potatoes into rounds, not too thin or thick and lay in the bottom of a cast iron skillet.
-
Place chicken on top of potatoes.
-
Tuck garlic cloves under chicken.
-
Squeeze the lemon's juice over the chicken, and season it liberally with salt and pepper.
-
Pour the water into the pan. This helps turn the potatoes creamy and forms a wonderful pan juice.
-
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.
-
Allow to rest for ten minutes before carving.
See what other Food52ers are saying.