Height of
Indulgence…
Taking
advantage of the fact that my usual Sunday activity had been moved to Saturday
we decided to indulge ourselves with a traditional Sunday lunch – a rare occurrence
in our household. We were rewarded with the most delicious crispy skin, melt in
the mouth stuffing & my favourite, crunchy roast potatoes…. JJ
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Ingredients & Costing…
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Whole Chicken x 1.5kg (free range)
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5.69
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Potatoes x 1.5kg
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0.29
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Olive Oil x 3 tblsp
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0.10
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Maldon Sea Salt
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0.05
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Freshly Ground Black Pepper
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0.05
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Stuffing
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Spanish Onion x ¼ very finely diced
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0.08
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Butter x 30gm
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0.15
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Soft Brown Breadcrumbs x 80gm
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0.10
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Fresh Herbs x 1 tblsp (parsley, basil)
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0.25
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Dried Mixed Herbs x 1 tsp
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0.05
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Egg x ½ beaten
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0.12
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Lemon x ½ juice & zest
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0.12
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Maldon Sea Salt
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0.05
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Freshly Ground Black Pepper
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0.05
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3-4 x Hearty Portions
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€7.15
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It Couldn’t
be easier…
æ
To make the stuffing fry the onion in melted butter
until golden & allow to cool. Combine the breadcrumbs, fresh & dried herbs,
lemon juice & zest with beaten egg in a bowl. Add the buttery onion &
mix thoroughly, seasoning well to taste
æ
Peel
the potatoes & cut into medium sized chunks. Place in a pan of cold water
& bring to the boil, simmering for approximately 8 minutes, drain the
cooking liquid & give the pan a good “shake” to rough up the potatoes a
little
æ Prepare
the chicken by rinsing under cold running water & removing any giblets.
Place the chicken on a heavy based baking tray & dry the skin thoroughly
with kitchen paper, fill the body cavity with herb stuffing, rub olive oil into
the skin & sprinkle well with crushed sea salt & a generous grinding of
black pepper. Pour the remaining olive oil around the chicken
æ
Place
tray on the high shelf of a preheated oven (gas mark 5) & cook for 1 hour
& 20 minutes (20 minutes per 450g & 20 minutes over). After the first
20 minutes remove the tray from the oven & place the “par boiled” potatoes
around the chicken, coating each one in hot olive oil & chicken fat. Baste
the potatoes & chicken every 20 minutes during the cooking time
æ
To
check the chicken is cooked, pierce the flesh behind the leg – the juices
should run clear, when cooked leave the chicken to “stand” in a warm place for
at least 10 minutes before serving, this allows all the succulent juices to be
reabsorbed by the flesh. Serve with seasonal vegetables & gravy
Picked Clean…
I had great plans for making chicken pie or pasta bake when I stripped
the chicken carcass clean of all those tasty shreds of flesh, brown meat &
crispy skin I had overlooked the first time around, instead I make the most
delicious roast chicken & stuffing sandwich on multi seed low GI bread with
baby spinach & mayonnaise, a world apart from the pre packed variety
available on most garage forecourts … JJ
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