Roast lemon and herb chicken with hasselback spuds

ingredients

• Roast lemon and herb chicken with hasselback spuds

  • 75 gram butter
  • 4 clove garlic, peeled, roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, grated zest, lemon halved
  • 1 bunch thyme
  • 1 bunch rosemary, plus extra, to serve
  • 1.6 kilogram whole free-range chicken
  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled, halved
  • creamed corn, to serve

method

• Roast lemon and herb chicken with hasselback spuds

  • 1

    Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C.

  • 2

    In a food processor, combine butter, garlic and zest. Strip leaves from half the thyme and rosemary and add to mixture. Process until smooth and season to taste.

  • 3

    Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Carefully push half butter mixture between skin and flesh, being careful not to rip or pierce skin. Stuff cavity with half lemon and remaining herbs. Tie legs together with kitchen string.

  • 4

    Place potato halves, cut-side down, on a board. Slice at 5mm intervals, two-thirds of the way through.

  • 5

    Place chicken in a large baking dish, breast side up. Arrange potatoes around chicken, sliced side up. Brush chicken and potatoes all over with remaining butter mixture. Squeeze remaining lemon half over chicken.

  • 6

    Roast 1-1 1/4 hours, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes. Rest chicken 15 minutes before carving. Serve with potatoes, extra rosemary and creamed corn.

notes

To make creamed corn, cook kernels from 4 corn cobs in 40g butter 1 minute. Stir in 1 tablespoon flour and cook 1 minute. Mix in 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream. Bring to boil, stirring. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup each grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Season and serve with Tabasco.