For most of my life I thought that I didn't like Roast Chicken. I had never tried making it until Cook's Illustrated magazine allowed me to see that it is because the typical way to roast chicken (slowly over a lower heat) results in very dry white meat. The same goes for turkey. In almost any recipe for chicken or turkey they will have you brine the meat. The exception would be if the meat is packed in a solution or even more so if it is kosher. The other trick is cooking it at a high temperature for a shorter period of time. And, finally, avoid stuffing. It truly is a matter of food safety. Besides, by the time the inner temperature of the turkey is hot enough to make your stuffing safe to eat, your meat is way too dry.
This is a recipe I found in the magazine a few years ago and to me it is quintessential comfort food. It's got a lot of garlic, which is my favorite way to cook. I vary a little in the way I make the potatoes, using fingerling (purple if you can find them) and adding rosemary.
The chicken juices drip down over the potatoes making them absolutely fabulous, but not very healthy. As a side note, I have tried this method both with sliced fennel and green beans. Both are good, but the potatoes take the cake. I suppose sweet potatoes would work nicely as well.
Brine:
1/2 C. Kosher Salt
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
3 Rosemary sprigs
1 4lb Chicken
Paste:
2 tsp. minced rosemary leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp. salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Potatoes:
1 1/4 Lb. New or Fingerling Potatoes
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed from stem
For the Brine: Combine salt, garlic, and rosemary in zipperlock bag. Pound with meat pounder or rolling pin until garlic cloves are crushed. Trasfer misture to stockpot and stir in 2 cups hot tap water; let stand 10 minutes to release flavors. Add 1 1/2 Quarts cold tap water and stir until salt is dissolved. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate 1 hour.
Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat over to 450 degrees. Set V-rack in small roasting pan and lightly spray rack with nonstick cooking spray.
For the paste: Stir together rosemary, garlic, salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1 Tbsp oil in small bowl. Rub about 1 1/2 tsp of paste in cavity of chicken. Carefully loosen skin over breast and thigh on each side; slip half of remaining paste under skin, then, using fingers, distribute paste over outside of chicken. Tie ends of drumsticks together with twine and tuck wings behind back. Spray chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Set chicken breast-side down on prepared V-rack and roast 15 minutes.
Meanwhile quarter potatoes (do not quarter if you are using fingerling) and toss with garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Remove chicken from oven and scatter potatoes and garlic in bottom of roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Stir the Potatoes and roast for another 15 minutes.
Remove raosting pan from oven; decrease oven temp to 375. Rotate chicken breast-side up; spray with oil. Stir potatoes.
Return chicken to oven and roast until chicken is medium golden brown and thickest part of breast is 160. Transfer chicken to large plate
Allow the chicken to rest. Carve and serve with potatoes and garlic. Garlic is good spread over bread.
