Ingredients

Method

• 1 free-range chicken
• 800 g mixed butternut, potatoes and onions, cut into chunks
• 3 cloves garlic
• A few springs fresh thyme
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil, for drizzling
For the basil oil, pound together:
• 30 g basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Cut out the backbone of the chicken. Chop off the legs, thighs and wings and snip off the wing tips. Set aside.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the vegetables on the tray in a single layer. Add the chicken pieces then scatter with one clove crushed garlic, some thyme and seasoning. Moisten with olive oil.

Split the rest of the chicken down the back. Cover both halves with baking paper, then give them a good thump to flatten as much as possible. Remove the baking paper, moisten both halves with olive oil and season with salt.

Place the chicken, skin-side down, in a welloiled roasting pan. Smear the bony side with the remaining crushed garlic and season lightly with pepper. Tuck in sprigs of thyme.

Place both pans in the oven and bake the vegetables and chicken pieces for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and starting to char and the chicken pieces are crisp. The rest of the chicken needs at least 1 hour. Serve with the vegetables and drizzle with basil oil.

Cook’s note: The basil oil is delicious drizzled over grilled fish. You could also use a storebought pesto.

TASTE’s take:

Everyone’s favourite, made all the better with a splash of home-made basil oil.