GLORIOUS ROAST CHICKEN WITH LYONNAISE DAUPHINOISE POTATOES

Glorious roast chicken served with infused baked butternut squash and sweet potatoes that have cooked underneath the gorgeous roast chicken soaking up all the juices from the chicken and stock, finished off with a hint of cream and an oven baked crust of Parmesan cheese.  This one tray roast is a firm family favourite.  I just fancied both lyonnaise stock braised potatoes and creamy dauphinoise with a hint of cheese, so married the two together, perfect.

Roast chicken, when done well it is one of the most loved comforting meals, and so simple to cook, a must for me, is to choose the best bird I can afford, I try to buy Organic out door reared birds, they may cost a couple of pounds more but they taste far more superior and the chicken has so much more meat on it because they have lead a life rooting and scratching outdoors doing what they are supposed to.
  

This simple one tray cooked family style roast chicken is a great dish for when you want to spend all your time talking with your family rather than stressing over the stove, with this meal the whole dinner, start to finish is cooked in one tray full of glorious flavours ensured to please everyone.

INGREDIENTS

(serves family 4)

1 large chicken

salt and pepper

rapeseed oil

3 sweet potatoes

1 butternut squash

1 Spanish onion

bunch fresh thyme

400ml chicken stock

150ml double cream

200g Parmesan cheese 

fresh ground black pepper

sea salt

First pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees then start by scrubbing the sweet potatoes removing most of the skin with a scourer, peel the butter nut squash then slice both in round disks, part of the butternut squash will need de-seeding and give you half circles, place in a large bowl, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Slice the onion thinly and add to the bowl.  Tip the squash, sweet potato and onion in to a deep roasting tin and cover with the stock. 

Now take your chicken and cut in half, this I do this by placing the chicken as brought on a board and just push my knife straight down the middle of the bird all the way through, a little force is needed at the base of the chicken, not as much as you first think.  Place both halves skin side up on top of the potato's and stock, rub with and season generously with sea salt, pop in the pre-heated oven 45 minutes.

At 45 minutes take the dish from the oven take the chicken off the top off the dish, place on another roasting tray and pop back in the oven, meanwhile add the cream to the potatoes and gently mix in, sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese, pop back in the oven for a further15-20 minutes until the cheese has browned off.   

Carve the gorgeous roast chicken breast or leg and serve with the lyonnaise dauphinoise potatoes that will have soaked up all that stock and cream and now have a wonderful browned off Parmesan crust.