Helena Puolakka's lemon and rosemary roast chicken
This dish uses chicken, the most essential ingredient for Helena Puolakka, chef at D&D London's Skylon restaurant. See our article, Ingredients - These are a few of my favourite things.
INGREDIENTS
(Serves four to six)
For the lemon rosemary butter
- 100g salted butter
- 4 sprigs of rosemary, picked leaves and chopped
- 1tsp ground Maldon salt
- Zest of 2 lemons, grated
- Seasoning made from 3 sprigs of chopped rosemary leaves, 1tsp Maldon salt and zest of 2 lemons, grated
For the roast chicken
- 1 whole corn-fed chicken
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
- 4 shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 1 celery, cleaned and cut in long pieces
- 12 button mushrooms
- 4 Maris Piper potatoes, cut into 4
- Olive oil
- Few sprigs of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
METHOD
Mix rosemary, lemon zest and salt into the soft butter. Spread the butter under the skin of the chicken breast. Tie the chicken for roasting then brush the chicken with olive oil and rub the seasoning on the top.
On a large roasting tray, colour the whole chicken with olive oil from side to side until golden, then add carrots, shallots, celery and mushrooms.
Bring the potatoes to the boil from cold water, and as soon as they start boiling strain them out.
Roast the chicken for 17 minutes at 180°C while stirring the vegetables. Turn the chicken to the other side for another 17 minutes. Check the vegetables regularly and when tender move out of the tray.
Now add the potatoes and let the chicken cook another six to 10 minutes on the back then remove from the tray and place breast underneath on a rack and cover with foil. Let the potatoes roast until golden and crispy. Add the vegetables into the tray with potatoes and finish off with chopped parsley and knob of butter.
