WINTER

Simple Roast Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

A perfect roast chicken, every time.

Serves 4–6

Chicken

1 roasting chicken (about 3 pounds), giblets removed

Salt and black pepper

1 bunch fresh thyme

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Potatoes

5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 ¾ pounds)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup half-and-half or whole milk, warmed

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place a rack in a large, shallow roasting pan.

2. Season the chicken cavity with salt and pepper; stuff with thyme. Brush the outside of the chicken with melted butter; season liberally with salt and pepper. Place on the rack in the pan, one wing side up. Place in oven; roast 20 minutes. At this time, add potatoes directly onto the oven rack so that they roast for 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife inserted in one is tender but still meets with just a bit of resistance.

3. Remove the chicken roasting pan from the oven; rotate chicken so that the other wing side is up. Roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven; rotate chicken so that the breast is up. Roast 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F. Transfer chicken to a cutting board; let it rest 20 minutes.

4. When potatoes are tender, transfer them to a cutting board. Coarsely chop them a few times. Transfer them to a large bowl and smash once with a potato masher. Add butter and milk; smash several more times, until they reach the desired chunkiness. Using a wooden spoon, stir in sliced scallions, salt and pepper, smashing and stirring to combine flavors. Leave potatoes chunky. Serve with chicken.

TIP: The potatoes and chicken cook in the oven at the same time, but the timing is different for each. It’s helpful to have a timer that allows you to enter two different times.