Herb-Butter Roast Chicken and Red Peel Potatoes

This one was tough, as my daughter decided to throw a screaming fit after I'd just rinsed out the chicken and begun to mix the herb butter, so there are very few photos this time. I was going back and forth between letting her scream her head off for a few minutes (mainly because I wasn't paying direct attention to her) and rubbing herb butter over a raw chicken. Needless to say my hands got washed numerous times and I was frazzled enough to forget photos. I finally managed to get things done after I put her down for a nap in her dark bedroom though. Phew!

Ingredients for chicken:

2-3 pound (or so) whole chicken
3 Tbsp butter (warmed or room temperature)
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/8 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp garlic pepper

Heat oven to 350 F. Remove chicken from packaging and discard giblets, rinsing off chicken under running water inside and out. Mix butter and herbs in a bowl (I used a spatula, but your fingers would work too). Place chicken on rack in roasting pan, then rub butter mixture all over skin (and under the skin if you can peel the skin from the meat a little) and inside cavity. Bake/Roast uncovered for 1 hr. 15-30 minutes (depending on weight of bird).

Ingredients for Potatoes:

5 red potatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp basil leaves (dry)
1/4 tsp garlic powder or garlic pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder

Wash potatoes then cut off any unusable/bruised parts and, using the end of a potato peeler, pick out the biggest eyes on each potato. Chop potatoes into small chunks (do not peel!) then put in a pot and add enough water to just cover potatoes. Boil for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes can be easily pricked with a fork. Drain, then return to pot. Add remaining ingredients and mash potatoes.

Serve with a side of corn or peas, or a vegetable to your liking. This meal will serve four people easily, or three people very large portions.

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....