Julia's Roast Chicken with Lemon and
Herbs
1 fine, fresh 3 1/2-lb. chicken
Salt and pepper
6 fresh sage leaves (or 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon or 1/2 t. dried herbes de
Provence)
1 large lemon, cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 T. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 C. mixed roughly chopped carrots and onions
Preparing the chicken: Set the rack on the lower middle level and preheat the
oven to 425� f.
Rinse the chicken thoroughly, inside and out, under hot water, then dry it with
paper towels. Remove any lumps of fat from inside the cavity near the tail
opening.
To make carving easier, remove the wishbone. Lift the flap of neck skin and
insert a thin, sharp knife into each end of the breast; then slice diagonally
along both sides of the wishbone. Use your finger and thumb to loosen the bone,
pry it out at the top and pull it down. If it breaks, carefully wiggle out the
pieces.
Trim the small bony protrusions, or "nubbins," from the wing tip joint. Then
fold the wings up against the breast, where they will be held in place by the
V-rack.
Salt and pepper the cavity and stuff it with the sage leaves and 3 or 4 thick
slices of lemon; give the slices a squeeze as you put them in. Massage the
butter over the entire chicken skin, including undersides, then salt generously.
Tie the ends of the drumsticks together with twine. Arrange the chicken
breast-up on the rack in the roasting pan and tuck the flap of neck skin
underneath. Squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon pieces over the top.
Roasting the chicken: Set the roasting pan in the oven. After 15 minutes, lower
heat to 350� F. When the chicken is beginning to brown rapidly, baste with
accumulated pan juices.
Roast for an hour, adding the onions and carrots after 30 minutes and basting
several times. Very carefully test for doneness, checking for easy movement in
the leg joint and clear color in the juices. Return it to the oven if there is
any sign of pinkness. (A small chicken will roast in about 1 1/4 hours, a larger
one may take 1 1/2 hours or more.) When done, remove the chicken from the rack
and set it on a board to rest for 15 minutes before carving. This allows the
juices to retreat back into the flesh.
Final Step: While the chicken is resting, make the deglazing sauce in the
roasting pan.
Makes 4 servings.
Source: Gourmet, September 1999
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