Darn Good Roast Chicken & Herb Roast Potatoes

Directions

• The chicken
• Take of the string binding the chicken together. Open out the bird placing into a deep roasting tin. Cut the onion into 6 pieces and stuff into the chicken.
• Slice the butter thinly and lay over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle over the herbs and spices, rosemary and bay leaves.
• Cover the roasting tin with foil, sealing the edges fully.
• Place in the oven for 2 hours at 170 C/340 f/Gas 3
• After 2 hours of cooking time check the temperature of the chicken, by sticking a meat thermometer into the meat near the inner thigh (between leg and breast making sure you are not hitting the bone). The temperature should be 160 to 165 C.
• If you haven’t got a meat thermometer you can prick it with a sharp knife in the same place, the juices should run clear.
• Put the chicken back into the oven, without foil, for 10 minutes to crisp the skin. Then rest the chicken for 30 minutes before serving.
• The Herb Potatoes
• Peel and chop your potatoes into equal pieces of around 3 cm each. This ensures they all cook equally.
• Rinse off the excess of starch by placing the potatoes in a colander and rinsing under a tap.
• Now put the potatoes in a large saucepan filling with cold water and bring to the boil. When they have reached boiling point turn the heat down to medium and let them simmer. To check the potatoes prick them with a sharp knife and when they are ready they should slide off the knife. This takes about 10 – 15 minutes.
• Drain them in the colander, place back into the saucepan after ensuring there is no more water in there.
• Shake the pan around with the potatoes in, fluffing the edges of the potatoes.
• Pour in about 4tbsp of fat (I use rapeseed or olive oil) into the pan over the potatoes and give it all a shake to cover the potatoes. Now add the salt and pepper seasoning and dried herbs, followed by 2 tbsp semolina.
• Again, shake the pan ensuring the potatoes are covered with the herbs, seasoning and semolina.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper and put the potatoes on the tray.
• You can either put these into the oven with the chicken, they may need about 40 minutes at the same temperature as the chicken. Or if you are just cooking the roast potatoes, roast them at 200 C/390 F/Gas 6 for about 25 minutes.
• When they are looking golden and crispy the potatoes are done.
• The gravy
• You can use the stock at the end (bits left in the roasting tin) to make a tasty gravy. Drain off the fat, add boiling water to the tin. Using a spatula loosen the chicken residue from the baking tin. Pour all this into a jug, add a chicken stock cube and make the contents up to 350ml with water as required.
• Put 40g butter into a saucepan and melt slowly without burning it. Then add 40g flour and whisk for one minute, ensuring you cook the flour out. this ensures your gravy does not taste floury.
• Now pour in the stock, whisking constantly until it thickens. por into a gravy boat or jug to serve.