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Roast Chicken

by Ruth Reichl
dinner
Yield: This will feed 3 hungry people, or 4 of more modest appetites.Cook: About 50 minutes roasting time, plus 20 minutes resting time
Source: https://ruthreichl.substack.com/p/a-restaurant-a-hotel-and-a-mad-gift?utm_source=publication-search

Ingredients

You have 1 of 4
produce
  • ✓4 clovesgarlic(whole unpeeled)
  • ○6 to 8waxy potatoes(peeled and quartered)
  • ○1onion(cut in eighths)
protein
  • ○chicken(free-range, organic)
pantry staple
  • ✓pepper
  • ✓olive oil
  • ✓salt

Instructions

  1. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator an hour before cooking. Wash and dry the chicken very well. Dry it again. Rub it inside and out with salt.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  3. Remove all visible fat from the chicken, and with your fingers gently pry up the skin from the breast and stuff the fat as far under the breast skin as possible, without tearing the skin. Rub the chicken with olive oil or softened butter.
  4. Pour a bit of olive oil into a large roasting pan. Toss the potatoes and onions in the oil, so that they are covered on all sides, and then spread into a single layer in the pan. Toss in the garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Position a rack over the vegetables and set the chicken, breast side up, on the rack and put it in the hot oven. Roast for about 50 minutes, or until the chicken is golden, the leg joint moves easily when you tweak it, and the juices run clear.
  6. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving and serving.

My notes

Let the chicken come to room temperature and pat it really dry, inside and out, before cooking. Remove all visible fat from the chicken, especially near the cavity. Put the chicken on a rack, so the heat can circulate around it. Cook the chicken at high heat, which will make the chicken crisper. Let the chicken rest, out of the oven, for at least 20 minutes before carving.