Roast Chicken on Potato and Mushroom Bake

Roast Chicken Potato and Mushroom Bake and Mushy Minted Peas

You can't beat a traditional Roast Chicken... however maybe the traditional can be improved on ever so slightly. This recipe is one to bring out when that craving for a roast like your Nanna made on a weekly basis can't be substituted with a store bought imitation.

• Dry roast a half dozen cloves of garlic for about 10 minutes until softened ... squeeze 3 of them into a large knob of butter along with some fresh chopped thyme to create a garlic and herb flavoured butter.
• Gently pop your fingers under the skin from of the bird and smear the flavoured butter over the breasts ... use the best chicken available, free range birds not only have the nicest flavour they also contain less fat and a lot more of the omega 3's brain food than an ordinary cheaper cost caged chicken option ... let the bird sit at room temperature while you prepare the potato bake.
• Slice about a kilo of the best waxy Blue varieties of potato with the purple skins and alternate in the bottom of your roasting pan with about 500 grams of sliced portobello (more flavour in my opinion) mushrooms which have been softened in a frying pan with a drizzle of oil and a knob of butter, the remaining roasted garlic and some sage ...
• Rub some olive oil onto the skin of your chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop the whole chicken, breast side up on to the top of the potato/mushroom mix and cover the whole dish with foil and bake in a 180 oven for about 30 minutes per kilo ... remover the foil after the first 30 minutes and finish cooking to the desired crispy golden skin that your Mum and Nan served you once a week most likely on Sunday's.
• Serve with mushy minted green peas ... so simple ... in a microwave safe bowl place frozen peas a small amount of shredded mint leaves and a tablespoon of water. Cover with cling wrap and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add a dob of butter and mash lightly with either a fork or potato masher and serve with black pepper.