Herb-Rubbed Roast Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

A friend of ours came over for dinner last night, which was perfect because any time the baby gets to play with a new person it tires her out more. So I made this meal while my husband and our friend watched the baby.

Ingredients for the chicken:

3-4 lb. roaster/fryer whole chicken
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
a couple shakes of seasoned salt
1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
thick pat of butter
1 stick of celery, quartered
1/4 of an onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, cut in half

Take chicken out of packaging and rinse it off under running water, removing the giblets to a small pot. Set chicken on poultry grate inside roasting pan. Mix all spices together in a small bowl. Use fingers to separate skin on chicken breast and legs from the meat and then rub the spice mix all over the skin, under the skin, and throw whatever's left inside the cavity of the bird. Stuff inside of bird with the vegetables and plop the pat of butter right on top center of bird. Roast uncovered at 375 F for 1 hr and 15-25 minutes (depending on actual weight of chicken).

To make the gravy:

Boil the giblets in about 1 1/2-2 cups of water until cooked, then remove and discard. (I fed the heart and lungs to my cats). Add 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/8 tsp pepper. 1/8 tsp poultry seasoning, and a couple shakes of seasoned salt. Cook on low until thickened.

Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:

5-6 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp basil flakes
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Boil potatoes in just enough water to cover the tops of the chunks for about 15 minutes, or until you can easily poke into them with a fork. Drain, then return to pot (make sure burner is off!) Add butter, milk, and spices and mash well.

We served this with a Green Giant veggie mix (I think it was broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower in cheese sauce) and everyone was very happy with the taste. The skin on the chicken was particularly good, especially for us fatties who love to eat chicken skin. By the way, sorry I forgot to take pictures of the mashed potatoes and gravy...they got eaten REALLY fast....