Karen Martini’s Roast Chicken
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
- 1 medium free range chicken
- 8 medium red-skinned (Desiree) potatoes, unpeeled
- 2 tbsp butter
- 10 sprigs thyme, rosemary or other fresh herb
- 1 lge brown onion
- 3 bulbs garlic
- ½ - 1 C olive oil
- 2 lemons
- sea salt and black pepper
- white wine, chicken stock or water (up to 1 C, or as needed)
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Cook potatoes until just tender. Drain.
Crush and peel three cloves of garlic, crush a sprig or two of the herbs, finely chop half a lemon and mix together with the butter and a little salt.
Gently separate skin from chicken breast to form pockets and fill with butter-herb mix.
Squeeze the lemon half and rub over chicken.
Separate the cloves from one bulb of garlic. Leave them unpeeled, bruise with the back of a knife and place in cavity with squeezed lemon half and half the remaining herbs.
Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to take chicken and potatoes (or use a separate dish for potatoes), cut onion into thick slices, slice the other lemon and place in the dish with remaining separated, unpeeled garlic cloves and herbs.
Use a potato masher to squash potatoes into 2cm-thick discs.
Rub chicken with olive oil and place on the onions, garlic and lemon, surround with the potatoes, sprinkle over half a cup of stock or wine and half the oil.
Season chicken and potatoes generously with salt and pepper then place in oven and roast 60-75 minutes, adding more oil or stock if necessary, until cooked.
Remove and rest chicken for five to ten minutes. Serve with potatoes, garlic, lemon, pan juices and salad leaves.
