From Simon Hopkinson’s “Roast Chicken and Other Stories,” makes 1 roast chicken.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
4-pound free-range chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
Several sprigs of fresh thyme or tarragon, or a mixture of the two
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Use your hands to smear butter all over bird. Put the chicken in a roasting pan that will accommodate it with room to spare. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then squeeze the juice of the lemon over it.
Put herbs, garlic and squeezed lemon halves inside cavity of the chicken.
Place chicken in oven and roast 10-15 minutes. Baste, then reduce temperature to 375 and roast for another 30-45 minutes, basting occasionally.
The bird should be golden brown all over with a crisp skin and have nut-brown buttery, lemony juices in the pan.
Turn off oven, leaving door ajar, and leave the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. This enables the flesh to relax gently, retaining juices in the meat and ensuring easy, trouble-free carving.
