We’ve had some great Sunday dinners at Lisa and Mike’s place recently. This past week we had a collaboration based upon what each of us had in our fridge. Lisa had a rib roast, which she served bloody rare – exactly to my liking. I made an awesome roasted chicken. The recipe follows:

The Best Roasted Chicken Ever with a Lovely Country Gravy

For the Roast Chicken:
1 Roaster 5 – 6 lbs., gizzards removed
1 lemon, halved
1 onion, halved
3 T butter
a few sprigs of rosemary
salt
pepper
sprinkling of herbs de provence

For the Gravy:
Reserved Gizzards
Water
1 Bay Leaf
A sprinkling of Herbs de Provence
2 carrots, halved
2 Stalks of celery, halved
1 large onion, quartered
Vermouth, white wine, or sherry for deglazing
2 T flour

Place oven rack on second level and preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the lemon, onion, rosemary and butter. Season the cavity and skin with salt, pepper and herbs de provence.

Place the chicken in a 12-by-8-by-1 1/2-inch roasting pan, breast-side up. After ten minutes, flip the chicken so it is basically upside down. The breast should have a good crisp skin by this point. If for some reason it doesn’t, wait to flip until it appears brown and crisp. Roast it 50 to 60 minutes, ( 10 minutes per pound) or until the juices run clear.

While the chicken is roasting, make a quick stock by putting the gizzards, celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf and herbs de provence into a saucepan with a cup or two of water. Simmer for an hour or so, skimming fat. When done, remove gizzards. Chop liver into tiny bits and discard other gizzards. Chop one onion, carrot and celery, discard the rest.

Remove the chicken to a platter by placing a large wooden spoon into the tail end and balancing the chicken with a kitchen spoon pressed against the crop end. As you lift the chicken, tilt it over the roasting pan so that all the juices run out of the cavity and into the pan. Pour off excess fat from the pan and put the pan on top of the stove. Deglaze with vermouth, add flour and whisk so that there are no lumps. Slowly add the stock while continually whisking. Add the livers, onion and carrot and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce a bit.

Carve chicken and serve gravy along with it.

Seriously good comfort food.