Everyone Can Roast a Chicken

It is unfortunate but true that blogging is a fantastic way to procrastinate. Unfortunate because I love to procrastinate, and even more unfortunate because, as a blogger, I have almost unlimited outlets for procrastination.

Today's post is entitled "Everyone Can Roast a Chicken." Why, might you ask, is today's post labeled this? Because everyone CAN roast a chicken. It's not scary, I promise. So, to my friend Bridget, who worries about the complexities of chicken roasting, I give you my roast chicken recipe from last year's seder....

Simple Roasted Chicken
1 6/12 to 7-pound roasting chicken, rinsed, patted dry
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh sage leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried ground sage
¼ cup fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
¼ cup fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary (these three herbs often found together as "poultry mix" in veggie section of supermarket)
¼ medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 head garlic, cloved and peeled, half of heads sliced
1 1/2 cups (kosher) white wine
5 tbsn pareve margarine, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 450°F. Rinse chickens; pat dry. Gently loosen skin over breasts and thighs. Rub softened margarine under the skin, concentrating most of the margarine over the breast meat. Slide garlic slices and fresh herbs under skin as well, concentrating on breast and thigh meat. Sprinkle skin and inside cavity with salt and pepper. Place onion pieces and remaining garlic cloves in chicken cavity. Place chicken breast side down, on racks in large roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Turn chickens breast side up. Deglaze bottom of pan with wine and baste chicken with accumulated pan juices. Continue to roast until cooked through and deep brown, basting with any juices in pan and brushing with additional honey occasionally, about 55 minutes longer. Transfer chickens to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

I particularly like this chicken with the following potatoes, though the potatoes, plus a salad and a glass of wine, can be great as a veggie main...

Dad’s “James Beard” Potatoes
My dad calls these “James Beard” potatoes but I have searched for and never found a James Beard recipe for these, so I think my dad may have made that label up. They are great with the chicken above but are also good as a light dinner if you top them with chevre and serve them with a green salad.

3-4 cups coarsely sliced Yukon Gold or other thin-skinned potatoes
1 tbsn dried rosemary, crumbled in your hand
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
6-8 smallish garlic cloves, peeled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss potatoes, onions and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat with olive oil (may need less oil, so add it bit by bit until all the potatoes/onions/garlic are coated). Spread in a single layer over baking sheet and roast 45-55 minutes, turning potatoes over after about 25 minutes (the bottoms will be browned and crispy). Add salt and pepper as necessary.