Garlic herb chicken roast chicken with soft potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 60g softened butter
• 1kg kipfler potatoes, scrubbed
• ¼ cup (60ml) white wine
• 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried pink peppercorns, crushed, optional

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Place 1 sprig of rosemary and 6 cloves of garlic into the chicken cavity.
3. Carefully run your finger between the skin and the breast meat to make small pockets; push 40g of the softened butter into pockets, pressing down so that it covers the breast. Secure the legs with kitchen string. Rub the remaining butter over the skin of the chicken.
4. Cut potatoes into quarters or halves if small. Place them into base of a medium roasting pan with the remaining garlic cloves and remaining rosemary. Pour wine and chicken stock over potatoes; sit the chicken on top. Sprinkle thyme leaves over the chicken and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.
5. Serve with the potatoes and sprinkled with pink peppercorns, if desired.

CHICKEN TIPS

• As a general guide, a 1.6kg whole chicken will take 1 hour and 20 minutes to cook in an oven preheated to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Chicken that is stuffed may take a little longer. ­
• To check if the chicken is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear with no sign of pink, the chicken is cooked. ­ When the chicken is cooked, cover it loosely with foil for 5-10 minutes, to allow the juices to settle. This creates juicer, moister meat. ­

PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN PAUL URIZAR