Ingredients:

1 chicken, about 4 lbs., ideally organic free-range

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, rosemary or thyme, or a combination thereof

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lbs. russet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into slices 1/2-inch thick

1 medium yellow onion, halved lengthwise and cut into slices 1/4-inch thick

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions:

Remove the giblets from the chicken and discard (or save for another use). Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.

 

At least 1 hour before you plan to start roasting the chicken or up to the night before, season the chicken inside and out with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. If starting more than 1 hour ahead, refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, up to 12 hours; remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to start roasting, to take the chill off.

 

Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a small bowl, stir together the herbs and garlic. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Working in batches to cook in a single layer without the slices overlapping, cook the potatoes until nicely browned on both sides in batches so that the slices do not overlap. When browned, remove to a plate and brown the rest.

 

Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and saute until tender and lightly browned. Return the potatoes to the pan, season with salt and pepper and one-third of the herb mixture, and toss to coat. Rub the remaining herb mixture all over the chicken. Place breast-side down on the potatoes and roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 175 F, turn the chicken breast-side up, return to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into a thigh registers 170 F, 4 to 6 hours. Timing is not crucial; at that temperature the chicken will not overcook.

 

To finish, raise the oven temperature to 500 F and roast until the skin of the chicken is brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Carve the chicken into serving pieces and serve with the potatoes. 

 

Serves 4