5 Dreamy Dishes As Gorgeous As They Are Delicious From The Chicest Cookbook Of The Year

by Christie Grimm · August 14, 2020

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APHRODITE’S CHICKEN

HANDS ON TIME
10–15 minutes

HANDS OFF TIME
1 hour 10 minutes cooking
10 minutes resting

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4)
4 potatoes
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small chicken, about 3 lbs, preferably organic
1 lemon
A large bunch of rosemary
2 garlic cloves
Sea salt flakes
Freshly ground black pepper

This recipe comes from my mother’s friend, Aphrodite, and is to my mind (smallest of puns intended) truly food of the gods. Its charm lies in its simplicity: the bird roasts on a bed of very finely sliced potatoes, which crisp to golden around the edges of the tin, while those directly under the chicken are soft and deliciously imbued with the rich cooking juices. The trick is to make sure that you get a little bit of both kinds of potato on your plate.

You can happily prepare this a few hours before you’re ready to roast the chicken, cover and store in the fridge. Just don’t slice the potatoes more than four hours or so ahead, as they may brown or curl.

Heat the oven to 200 ̊C/fan 180 ̊C/Gas 6. Finely slice the potatoes into rounds 3–5mm thick, using a mandolin if you have one. Arrange in a single layer over the bottom of a large roasting dish, overlapping them. I do this in a round 32cm tarte Tatin dish, but whatever you have to hand will do. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and season generously.

Set the chicken in the dish, nestled over the potatoes. Prick the lemon all over with a fork and stuff it into the cavity along with half the rosemary. Drizzle the remaining oil over the chicken, then rub it into the skin with a very generous dash of salt. Lightly crush the garlic cloves (unpeeled) and scatter them over the potatoes, along with what is left of the rosemary.

Now set the roasting dish in the oven and cook for 60–70 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the juices run clear when you stick a knife into the thickest part of the bird (between the leg and the body). Allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving, then eat with the potatoes.

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