The very best roast chicken

This roast chicken is so good, it will become a regular staple on your dinner table.

Ingredients

• Whole chicken, 3-4 pounds (1.5-2 kilograms)

• 1/2 cup (125g) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 lemon

• 2 cloves garlic

• Herbs, approximately 1/4 cup (?g) - mix of rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram and flat leaf parsley

• Fingerling potatoes

• Salt and pepper to taste

In this dish, the potatoes serve as dual purpose ingredient, acting as a roasting rack for the chicken while simultaneously absorbing the rich drippings to create an irresistible side dish.

Directions

Preparing the chicken for roasting

1. Dry the skin of the chicken with paper towels.

2. Place softened butter into a bowl. Finely mince the herbs and garlic, zest the lemon and add all to the butter. Mix well.

3. Arrange the chicken with the breast side facing up. Using your index and middle fingers, loosen the skin of the chicken by inserting your fingers between the skin and breast meat. Also loosen the skin surrounding the legs of the chicken in the same manner. The idea here is to create a pocket which you will place the herb butter mixture.

4. Use a spoon to place dabs of the herb butter mixture under the skin, massaging it into the meat.

5. Slice the lemon, and squeeze the juice into the cavity of the chicken. Place the squeezed lemon into the cavity which will add moisture while the chicken roasts, and help to fill out the cavity so that the chicken roasts more evenly. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of the skin.

6. Truss the chicken, and place uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Roasting

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C)

2. Slice fingerling potatoes length wise, and place cut side up in a shallow roasting pan. Place your chilled chicken on top.

3. Put chicken on the middle rack of your oven, and roast until the temperature of the breast reads 160°F (70°C) on an instant read thermometer, or approximately 50-60 minutes depending on your oven, and the weight of the chicken.

4. Remove chicken from roasting pan, and let it rest on your cutting board for at least 10 minutes before carving.

As the chicken roasts, the potatoes soak up the herb butter, developing a golden, crispy crust while remaining tender and fluffy on the inside. Serve the carved chicken and roasted potatoes family style on a warm platter.

This roast chicken is easy enough to make for a weeknight meal, but impressive enough to serve for Sunday dinner. With it's crispy skin, juicy meat and aromatic herb flavors, our Very Best Roast Chicken is sure to become a family favorite.