During the heart of winter, many find themselves cooped up at home, but craving a restaurant quality meal. We created this recipe to be as easy as possible. Roasting a chicken shouldn’t be intimidating and is something I think everyone should know how to do. It’s a staple in our house. It’s perfect for a small dinner party because it’s hands off and if roasting for the family it leaves lots of leftover chicken for meal prep.
Our favorite way to prepare a roast chicken is to spatchcock the chicken beforehand by removing the spine and rib bones. We recommend buying the chicken at OG Butcher or Fleisher’s Craft Butchery and having the butcher do this for you – or you can simply skip this step.
The Perfect Roast Chicken
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
¼ cup salt
One 3-4-lb chicken
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh thyme
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
½ tsp salt
1 lemon, sliced in pieces about ¼ thick
1 onion, sliced in pieces about ¼ thick
2 carrots, cut in chunks
Instructions
1) Heavily salt chicken, cover loosely and refrigerate for at least one hour but overnight will yield the best results. If you have time, you can leave overnight for the perfectly tender roast chicken. Once ready to cook wipe off excess salt and pat dry before roasting.
2) Preheat oven to 400°.
3) Season chicken. Add garlic and herbs under the skin of the chicken.
4) Cover the bottom of cast iron skillet with a bed of sliced onions, carrots and lemon.
5) Set the chicken on top of the bed of onions, carrot and lemon breast side up, tucking in the wings so they don’t burn. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the bird over, and roast breast side down for 20 minutes. Turn it over again and roast breast side up for another 20 minutes or until done.
6) Let the meat rest, tented, for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
15-20 small new potatoes
1/4 cup avocado oil or peanut oil + 2 Tablespoons
2 large yellow onions cut into rings
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Diced bell pepper
Chopped chives
Instructions
1) Bring salted water to a boil in a heavy bottomed pot. Once boiling, steam potatoes in a steamer attachment for 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes.
2) While potatoes are steaming. Sauté onions in oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high, in about 2 tablespoons of oil, until golden brown and crispy. Set aside.
3) On a large cutting board, press the steamed potatoes with the bottom of a large glass until smashed. They should be flattened but not falling apart into pieces.
4) Heat remaining oil in cast iron skillet (making sure all onion debris is removed). Once oil is hot, lay potatoes in skillet, making sure they don’t overlap, season and fry for about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden and crispy. Work in batches until all potatoes are fried.
5) Once potatoes are done, remove from skillet with spatula. Arrange on serving plate with crisped onions and top with chives and diced peppers.
