the BEST roasted potatoes & chicken

[spottydingo]

I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart on Friday and tried it last night ... it is amazing! I thought I did a pretty darn great roasted chicken and good roasted potatoes but will be doing it this way from now on. The chicken was beautifully brown, the breasts tender and juicy, and the thyme/rosemary/garlic had perfumed all the meat without being overpowering. Also, it was pretty easy. I didn't have grapeseed oil so I used a peanut oil with little or no peanut flavor. The chef also did an interesting creamed spinach which I'll put in a separate post -- also very yummy. Oh, and you can see the video on her website under the French Cooking episode.

Potatoes That Taste Better Than the Chicken (from the Martha Stewart show)

This delicious recipe for chicken and potatoes is courtesy of chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and goes wonderfully with his Creamed Spinach and Basil.

Ingredients

Serves 4

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole (2 1/2-to-3-pound) chicken, wings removed
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 chicken liver
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
Fleur de sel, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Butter a medium roasting pan with 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons oil. Place potatoes in a single layer in roasting pan. Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Place liver, rosemary, thyme, and garlic inside cavity of chicken; using kitchen twine, tie legs together to enclose. Rub chicken with remaining 3 tablespoons each of butter and oil. Place chicken on top of potatoes on one of its sides.

Transfer roasting pan to oven and roast for 20 minutes. Turn chicken onto its other side and continue roasting 20 minutes more. Turn chicken, breast side up, and add 2 tablespoons water to pan; continue roasting until juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 20 minutes more.

Carve chicken in roasting pan allowing the juices to combine with the potatoes. Serve from the roasting pan, spooning pan juices over potatoes. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

[lorisunshine]

Sounds absolutely wonderful.
Thanks

[spottydingo]

Oh, I should say that the key to the chicken is cooking it on one side (laying on a leg) for 20 minutes, the other side for 20 minutes, and then on its back for 20 minutes (or until done), and basting with the juices at each turning. I cooked a duck this way at Christmas and it helped keep the breast from drying out.

[lorisunshine]

Gee, that sounds just like a tanning booth......... LOL>

[betty boop]

Thanks for this, I was buying pork for sunday roast but now i'm doing chicken ..............

Will let you know what its like ........

[Determinator]

SpottyDingo, that's a winner! i do a variation of that myself but didn't consider putting the birdy on it's side. interesting....must try that.