We just got a roast chook out of the oven, to rest. The roast veggies are still finishing off.
We do it a fairly easy way, there are a number of soft options. The good thing about it is you can bung it in the oven and go rest, knowing dinner is looking after itself.
For us, chicken is cheap protein. I can get thigh fillets for $10 a kilo. The cheapest lamb chops are $11 a kilo, the cheapest beef is $15 a kilo. Kangaroo is $13 a kilo. Ditto, venison. A whole chook for roasting is $10, for a 2.4 Kg bird. I can get smaller ones for a lot less.
We have a lot of hungry mouths to feed, so I get a big bird and allow two hours. I sit it on a rack with a bit of water underneath, the juices underneath then make a delicious gravy. I put the vegetables in a separate baking dish.
The easy way with vegetables - I peel and cut into pieces two bites big, the following - potato, kumara (orange sweet potato) or pumpkin, whole carrots, then get a plastic shopping bag and make sure it has no holes. Sometimes I flour and season the veggies by throwing in a couple of tablespoons of flour, some seasoned salt or maybe some crushed dried herbs. I throw the veggies into the bag, inflate the bag then twist it closed, throw them all around inside to coat, then pour in some vegetable oil and inflate and toss around again, before upending the lot into the other baking dish.
I put the chook on the bottom shelf of the oven and the veggies on the top, rounded sides down in the oil where possible.
The job is easier if you get someone else to peel the vegetables.
During cooking I check the chook dish to make sure there is a little bit of water in it; I turn the veggies after an hour.
We take the chook out of the oven, rest it on a carving tray while I make gravy (optional extra). I pour all the pan juices off into a jug and get a small saucepan. I drizzle in the grease (what there is of it) from the top of the pan juices. If there's too much of it, I throw away the rest of the grease but keep the juices. I then add a spoonful of plain flour, cook it with the fat over heat until it forms a roux, then pour in the pan juices. I cheat and hit it with a blender wand to mix it in fast, then stir it until it thickens. The best gravy ever! test for salt, add to taste.
An even easier, faster way - get a SMALL chook, cut it up the backbone (remove the backbone, keep it in the freezer to make stock with when you accumulate a few), squash it flat on the bench and put it into a strong plastic bag. Throw in a splash of oil, some lemon juice (throw in the lemon half after it), a sprig or two of thyme, rosemary, oregano or whatever you want, a quartered onion, smoosh it all over the chicken from outside the bag (careful to not puncture the bag or you have to put it in another one) then keep it in the fridge for a day or so.
To cook - upend the lot into a baking dish (maybe remove the lemon half at this stage) and roast in moderate oven for about 45 minutes - the flattened chook cooks much faster. or you can cook it on the barbecue (man's work, so you get more rest).
A roast dinner is far easier than it seems.
I've gotta go, the gravy is waiting to be made.
Marg
