Give your Sunday roast a hassle-free makeover with this roast chicken with dill and potatoes, inspired by food writer Silvana Franco’s Italian heritage.
Ingredients
- small bunch of dill
- 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed or finely grated
- 1.65 kg – 1.8 kg whole chicken
- 1 small unwaxed lemon, halved
- 800g red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method
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Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Cut the stems from the dill and set aside, then roughly chop the leaves. Keep a small handful of the dill leaves to garnish, then mix the rest with the butter and garlic.
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Carefully lift the skin of the chicken breasts and legs, and push about two-thirds of the garlic butter under the skin. Spread it over the meat, then spread the remaining butter over the skin and season. Put the chicken in a large roasting tin and squeeze over the lemon halves, then put them into the cavity along with the dill stalks. Roast the chicken for 20 mins.
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Reduce the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Scatter the potatoes around the chicken, drizzle over the oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Turn the potatoes so they’re coated in the oil and any roasting juices from the chicken. Roast for another 1 hr, turning the potatoes occasionally until brown and the chicken is completely cooked through. Sprinkle over the reserved dill leaves and serve.