Roast Chicken with Thyme, Garlic and Crispy Potatoes

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.6–1.8kg
• 1kg Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g butter, softened
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
• 1 lemon, halved
• 5–6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked from most, a few sprigs left whole
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Prepare the chicken

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

Pat the chicken dry all over with kitchen paper. This matters more than people like to admit.

In a small bowl, mix the softened butter with the grated garlic, most of the thyme leaves, a good pinch of salt, and black pepper.

Rub the butter all over the chicken, including under the skin over the breast if you can manage it without too much theatrical struggle. Put the lemon halves and the remaining thyme sprigs inside the cavity. Season the outside of the chicken well with salt and pepper.

2. Start the potatoes

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and parboil the potatoes for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to soften.

Drain well, then give them a good shake in the colander to rough up the outsides. That is where the crispness begins.

Tip them into a roasting tin with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss well.

3. Roast everything

Sit the chicken on top of the potatoes in the roasting tin, or on a rack above them if you have one and want even more definition to the potatoes. Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes, depending on the size of the bird, turning the potatoes once or twice during cooking so they colour evenly.

The chicken is ready when the juices run clear from the thickest part of the thigh, or when a thermometer reads 75°C in the thickest part.

4. Rest properly

Lift the chicken onto a board or warm plate, loosely cover with foil, and let it rest for 15–20 minutes.

While it rests, return the potatoes to the oven if they need a little longer to become properly golden and crisp.

5. Serve

Carve the chicken and serve with the crispy potatoes and any juices from the roasting tin spooned over the top.

A couple of helpful notes

- A handful of roasted shallots or carrots in the tin would not be a bad idea if you want to make more of the tray.
- Do not skip the resting time. It makes the chicken juicier and gives the potatoes a fighting chance to get even crisper.
- If you have decent olive oil and good chicken, this dish does not need dressing up any further.