That is my very own rosemary that I grew.
(Don’t be too impressed. My basil has drowned.)
The return of the summer has brought with it the return of local farmer’s markets, and because we live right next to the Stone Barns Agricultural Center that also means the return of spatchcock chickens. I’ve written about how amazing these things are before, but basically what they are is chickens with the backbone and sternum removed; the flattish result means that the parts on the inside (the breasts) cook slightly less and the parts on the outside (the legs) cook slightly more, which is exactly how a chicken cooks in a perfect world. It also cooks faster, which is awesome.
You can spatchcock a chicken yourself, but honestly: it seems like a pain, and isn’t something I’d bother with; I just buy a couple whenever I come across a place that sells them and consider myself lucky. (This recipe, incidentally, also works for a regular roast chicken; just adjust the cooking time as noted below.)
What You Need (serves 4):
1 spatchock (or regular) chicken
2-3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
1 lemon, cut into rounds
16-20 smallish new potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Put the potatoes into a roasting pan with some olive oil and a few pinches of salt, and toss them around in the pan to coat.
3. Rub olive oil all over the outside of the chicken, and sprinkle on a little salt.
4. Gently separate the skin of the chicken from the breast meat, and tuck a few lemon rounds and some rosemary leaves into the gap.
5. Set the chicken on top of the potatoes in the roasting pan. Sprinkle over any remaining rosemary, and tuck any remaining lemon rounds into the spaces between the potatoes.
6. Roast for just over an hour (or at 425F for about an hour and a half if you’re making a regular chicken as opposed to a spatchcock). Drizzle over pan juices to serve.
Suggested side dish: Baby Bok Choy with Garlic Scapes.
