Basic roast chicken rules

Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Thirteen years ago, London chef Simon Hopkinson wrote a quirky collection of essays and recipes he called “Roast Chicken and Other Recipes,” a sort of collage of culinary musings.

The recipes are basic, reflecting Hopkinson’s desire to let the ingredients shine. The book’s namesake recipe calls for little beyond a great bird and a bit of time.

Roast chicken

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

4-pound free-range chicken

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

Several sprigs of fresh thyme or tarragon, or a mixture of the two

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Use your hands to smear the butter all over the bird. Put the chicken in a roasting pan that will accommodate it with room to spare. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then squeeze the juice of the lemon over.

Put the herbs, garlic and squeezed lemons into the cavity of the chicken.

Place the chicken in the oven and roast 10 to 15 minutes. Baste, then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and roast for another 30 to 45 minutes, basting occasionally until the bird is golden brown with a crisp skin.

Turn off the oven the let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes for easy, trouble-free carving.

Recipe from Simon Hopkinson’s “Roast Chicken and Other Stories,” Hyperion, $24.95