Roast Chicken with New Potatoes

The key here is to cut the potatoes or other vegetables small enough so they cook in the time allotted for the bird. The skillet or roasting pan you use should be large enough to accommodate both bird and vegetables in one layer. Larger and your vegetables will dry out; smaller and they won’t brown. Peel the potatoes or not, as you prefer.

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, or sage leaves or a combination, plus more for garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat

11/2 to 2 pounds red or white waxy potatoes, the smaller the better, or larger potatoes cut into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks

• Heat the oven to 450 F. Mix together the olive oil, herb(s), and some salt and pepper. Put the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan (on a rack if you prefer).
• Toss half of the herb mixture with the potatoes and scatter them in the pan, then put the pan in the oven. After the chicken has roasted for about 20 minutes, spoon some of the herb mixture over it and the potatoes. Shake the pan so the potatoes turn and cook evenly.
• Shake the pan and baste the chicken again after another 10 minutes; at this point the breast should be beginning to brown (if it isn’t, roast for a few more minutes).
• Turn the heat down to 325 F, baste again with the remaining herb mixture, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155–165 F. Total roasting time will be 50 to 70 minutes.
• Remove the chicken and taste a potato; if it isn’t quite done, raise the heat to 425 F and roast while you rest and carve the chicken; it won’t be long. Serve the chicken, garnished with herbs, with the potatoes scattered around it, hot or warm.
  Roast Chicken with Root or Other Winter Vegetables.
  • Instead of all potatoes, use about 2 pounds of one or a mix of carrots, celery, celery root, parsnips, turnips, kohlrabi, white or sweet potatoes, any winter squash, garlic, shallots, onions, and so on. Peel them (you need not peel individual garlic cloves) and chop into pieces no more than 1 inch in diameter (so the vegetables finish cooking with the chicken).
• MAKES: 4 servings
• TIME: About 1 hour