Kylie Kwong'S Radical Roast Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg free-range chicken
1/2 bunch tarragon
4 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
100 g unsalted butter, sliced
1 whole garlic head
10 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into wedges
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
6 medium kipfler potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
5 small golden shallots, unpeeled but cut in half
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch cracked white pepper
sourdough bread, to serve

Preparation

Preheat oven to 220\u00b0C (450\u00b0F).
Rinse chicken under cold water.
Trim away excess fat from inside and outside cavity, but keep neck, parson's nose and winglets intact.
Tuck wing tips under chicken.
Place chicken in roasting tin, breast-side up.
Place tarragon and half the rosemary inside the chicken cavity.
Using your hands, carefully separate the skin from the meat over the breast and thighs of the chicken.
Place the butter between the skin and the meat, spreading it evenly under the skin.
Lightly crush unpeeled garlic cloves and scatter over chicken with bay leaves, salt and remaining rosemary.
Place carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes and shallots around chicken, then drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper.
Cover roasting dish with foil and roast for 35 minutes.
Remove from oven and lower the temperature to 180\u00b0C (350\u00b0F).
Take off foil and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through and vegetables are tender.
To test chicken, insert a skewer into the thigh and press against the meat- it is cooked when the juices run clear.
The skin should be crisp and lightly browned.
Remove chicken from oven, cover with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
Remove chicken from tin and serve with the roast vegetables and some crusty sourdough bread.