Roast chicken and potatoes

Mastering an easy chicken roast is a great skill to teach your teenagers. A roast is also a great way to use up leftover vegetables at the end of the week – carrots, sweet potato, potato, pumpkin, parsnips and beetroot. Add some greens and gravy and you have a perfect meal. Here we show you how easy it is.

ROAST CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 80 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (size 14/1.4kg)
• salt
• ½ cup / 125ml of olive oil
• 4–6 desiree potatoes, peeled
• sea salt
• pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• vegetables of your choice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 400ºF / Gas mark 6–7.
2. Wash out the cavity of the chicken(s), and pat dry all over using paper towel. Tuck the wing tips underneath the chicken.
3. Over a large roasting dish, sprinkle the chicken(s) with salt and pour over olive oil.
4. Place the chicken(s) breast side down, and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Cut the potatoes into chunks, and place in a pot with enough salted cold water to cover them. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10–15 minutes.
6. Strain potatoes in a colander until they are quite dry. Bounce them around to rough-up the edges.
7. Put the potatoes back into the pot, and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, whole garlic cloves and rosemary.
8. Once the chicken has been cooking for the first 20 minutes, turn the chicken over, and spread the potatoes around the chicken, coating them in the hot oil.
9. Cook chicken for an additional 20 minutes. Test the chicken is cooked by skewering the thigh. When the juices run clear it is ready. If the juice has a pink tinge, keep cooking and check every 10 minutes until juices run clear.
10. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, cover with foil and set aside to rest in a warm place.
11. Turn the potatoes to ensure they cook evenly, and cook for an additional 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown.
12. Carve the chicken, and serve with roast potatoes and extra vegetables of your choice.

TIP
It is better to cook 2 smaller chickens than larger chickens if you are cooking for more than 5 people. Place them side by side in the oven or in two separate trays.