Roast Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5 hours
Serves 4
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1 large free range chicken (1.5 kilos/3 pounds)
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1 lemon or lime
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1 sprig of rosemary
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40 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
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1 teaspoon oil
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1 cup white wine
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1 cup chicken stock
Honey roasted carrots and quick roast potatoes
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1 bunch Dutch carrots
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1 tablespoon honey
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1 tablespoon butter
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750grams/1.5 pounds potatoes
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Remove excess fat from around the entranceway to the chicken. In a stovetop-proof and oven-proof dish (I used cast iron) heat the oil until hot and then brown the breast side of the chicken lifting it out with tongs. Stuff the chicken with halved lemon or lime and insert sprig of rosemary and six or so cloves of the garlic. Tie up the legs and place back into the baking dish the white wine, chicken stock and the rest of the garlic cloves. Cover with lid and bake for 1 hour.
Step 2 - Meanwhile cut potatoes in half and boil in salted water until tender but not mushy. Meanwhile peel and trim the Dutch carrots and poach them in salted boiling water for 3 minutes (keeping the similarly thick ones together as they need a bit more time and the thin ones will only need 1-2 minutes). Refresh in a bowl of ice water and drain.
Step 3 - Line a large baking tray with parchment. Heat the honey and butter in a saucepan on medium heat and cook the carrots briefly in the sweet honeyed butter and then transfer to the baking dish. Place the potatoes cut side down in the honeyed butter and then move these to the baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes in oven.
Step 4 - When the chicken has been cooking for an hour remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes. Serve with the gravy which is delicious and can be thickened with a little flour if you like it a thicker consistency. Serve chicken with garlic cloves which you can pop out of the skin as they will be beautifully mellow and sweet.