Karen's Best Roast Chicken & Roast Potatoes

Equipment:

• Half a meter of  kitchen twine
• A solid bottom roasting pan (I use a copper mauviel or a cast iron Le Creuset)

Ingredients

• The best whole chicken you can get (choose a nice, big chicken about 1kg in size)
• 1 whole head of garlic
• 1 small to medium lemon
• A  large handful of fresh rosemary
• Freshly ground pepper and salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
2. Place the chicken breast side up with the legs facing  towards you
3. Grind salt  and spread generously  all over the the chicken and in the cavity.
4. Grind  a sprinkling of black pepper and spread similarly  around the chicken and in the cavity
5. Place the head of garlic on its base and slice it in half  through its diameter, parallel to its base so  a cross-section of the cloves is exposed
6. Slice the lemon in half at the diameter as in the picture.
7. Stuff the cavity of the chicken in alternating layers, starting with the garlic,  followed by the rosemary,  then the lemon and repeat.
8. Loop a piece of kitchen twine around each chicken leg and then  tie the chicken legs together with the tail bone by criss-crossing the string twice over  and around the legs.  Tie the kitchen twine in an  firm bow. The trussing keeps the flavour contained in the hollow and  allows the chicken to cook evenly.  When tying, be careful not to pierce the skin as the skin preserves the  juices and the flavour.
9. Cook for  an hour,  to an hour and a half uncovered until  the chicken becomes golden and crispy.  Then, take it out and let it rest for ten minutes  before you touch it.

Bon Appetit

ROAST POTATOES

Tip: To make the perfect, light, fluffy, crispy roast potatoes