Roast chicken with anchovy butter

I grew up on roast chicken – always with mashed potatoes and green beans. My mother didn’t do roast potatoes, and neither do I. In the winter, I often roast pumpkin with red onions and sweet potatoes or fennel slices to serve instead. It’s worth spending the extra on a goodquality chicken – Freedom Food labelled free-range or organic and not too huge.

Preparation time: 20 minutes,
plus overnight if possible
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
plus resting time
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 x 2kg Freedom Food labelled free-range
or organic chicken
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
...for the anchovy and herb butter
12 good quality anchovies (such as Ortiz)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 dried red chilli, crumbled, with seeds
1 tender rosemary stem, leaves only, finely chopped
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
200g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Method:

Season the chicken generously with salt inside and out – do this the night before if possible as it helps to tenderise the meat and season it right through. Wrap loosely and leave in the fridge overnight.

Take the chicken out the fridge 2 hours before putting it into the oven. Cut off the wing tips and tuck the neck flap of skin under the bird.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan 160°C / Gas 4. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil. Place in a roasting tin large enough to hold it comfortably, laying the bird on one side. Roast on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn the bird onto its other side and roast for a further 30 minutes. Finally, turn the chicken on its back and roast for a final 20 minutes or until cooked through. To test, pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer – the juices should run clear. Turn off the oven and leave the chicken inside, with the door slightly ajar to let it rest for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the butter, put the anchovies, garlic, chilli, rosemary and lemon zest into a small saucepan over a low heat and stir gently until the anchovies begin to disintegrate. Now add the butter, a couple of cubes at a time, stirring as you do so, until it is all incorporated.

This sauce should be made just before you are ready to eat, otherwise it is likely to split. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter and spoon over some of the warm butter. Pour the rest into a jug.

Serve at once, with the accompaniments.

Recipe from the Freedom Food Celebrity Recipe Collection 2011