Roast chicken with dill & potatoes

Give your Sunday roast a hassle-free makeover with this roast chicken with dill and potatoes, inspired by food writer Silvana Franco’s Italian heritage.

Ingredients

• small bunch of dill
• 50 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed or finely grated
• 1.65 kg - 1.8 kg whole chicken
• 1 small unwaxed lemon, halved
• 800 g red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Cut the stems from the dill and set aside, then roughly chop the leaves. Keep a small handful of the dill leaves to garnish, then mix the rest with the butter and garlic.
2. Carefully lift the skin of the chicken breasts and legs, and push about two-thirds of the garlic butter under the skin. Spread it over the meat, then spread the remaining butter over the skin and season. Put the chicken in a large roasting tin and squeeze over the lemon halves, then put them into the cavity along with the dill stalks. Roast the chicken for 20 mins.
3. Reduce the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Scatter the potatoes around the chicken, drizzle over the oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Turn the potatoes so they’re coated in the oil and any roasting juices from the chicken. Roast for another 1 hr, turning the potatoes occasionally until brown and the chicken is completely cooked through. Sprinkle over the reserved dill leaves and serve.