Poulet For All

Yesterday I presented a recipe that while delicious, is one that cannot be prepared on a whim. In a twist of coincidence, tonight's menu fell on the opposite side of the spectrum.

The concept of roast chicken is quite simple, but its successful outcome can prove elusive to the home cook. I have attempted numerous variations through the years, but this version time and again carries the day as my favorite.

Its inspiration comes from the fantastic America's Test Kitchen but its true origins come unsurprisingly from the country of culinary excellence - France. Classic French rotisserie chicken is prepared over trays of sliced potatoes thereby allowing the savory juices from the cooking chicken to drizzle down over the normally bland starch throughout the cooking process.

Here is what you are going to need:

• Whole chicken, 3-4 pounds. Buy the best quality chicken you can.
• 5-6 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced, preferably with a mandolin
• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Whatever additional seasonings you like. I personally like thyme for the chicken and garlic and onion powder for the potatoes
• Whatever vegetable you like. Tonight, we rolled with roasted Brussels sprouts

Prepare a large cookie sheet by thoroughly covering in aluminum foil, then preheat the oven to 500-degrees Fahrenheit. 

While the oven is preheating, we need to butterfly the chicken. We do this by cutting the back out of the chicken, then partially cutting through the breast-bone from inside the breast cavity. You can certainly have your supermarket's meat department do this for you, just ask for a whole chicken, butterflied.

I like to season the underside of the chicken with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Once done, set aside and prepare your potatoes by peeling and slicing into a mixing bowl. 

Once all potatoes are sliced, add two or so tablespoons of olive oil and a light sprinkling of salt, pepper and whatever seasonings you like. Give the potato slices a good toss and transfer to the cookie sheet in a nice even layer:

Now place the chicken directly on top of the potatoes, skin side up. Ensure the skin is dry by blotting with paper towels and get ready to have some fun. With your hands, smear the room-temperature butter all over the chicken's skin. Be sure to cover all of the skin with a nice layer of butter. 

Once your bird is good and greased up, give your hands a good cleaning, then sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and your preferred seasonings. One important note - if you are an over-achiever and are roasting a chicken you brined, omit salting the chicken here:

Place the chicken into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rotate the pan 180-degrees and roast for another 25 minutes. Keep an eye on the chicken during the final 10 or so minutes, if it is darkening too quickly, loosely tent with foil. 

Once cooking is complete, you will have a deliciously crisp chicken and a nice assortment of potatoes in varying degrees of crispness:

Allow the chicken to rest for 10 or so minutes, carve and and serve with the potatoes, a nice wine, and whatever vegetable you rolled with. Bon appetite!