Roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes

Chef Mindy Oh
Mora Italiano, Los Angeles

At Mora Italiano, Executive Chef Mindy Oh squeezes fresh meyer lemon juice on fingerling potatoes prior to roasting. The sugars from the juice caramelize on top of the potatoes, infusing a sweet but savory flavor. Because meyer lemons can be difficult to find, Oh suggests substituting navel oranges, which "work just as well and add more sweetness."

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
Salt, to taste
1 lb. fingerling or peewee potatoes
1 tbsp. sunflower oil
2 navel oranges or meyer lemons
1/4 cup crème fraîche
2 tbsp. wholegrain mustard
1/4 cup loosely packed dill leaves, chopped
1/4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, chopped
Olive oil, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. To help ensure even cooking, let chicken come to room temperature. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt, making sure every part of the chicken is coated. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body.

Cut potatoes in half. In a mixing bowl, combine potatoes with sunflower oil and salt to taste. Cut oranges in half and squeeze juice over potatoes. Transfer potatoes to a roasting pan and add enough water to just barely cover pan. Place seasoned chicken on top. Cover pan with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil and raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Cook for another 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted between the leg and thigh bone registers 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest.

Use a toothpick to test potatoes. If it enters the core with no resistance, potatoes are done. Remove potatoes from pan, leaving as much liquid as possible. Combine liquid with crème fraîche, mustard and herbs. Gently toss dressing, olive oil and potatoes. (Leftover dressing goes great with eggs.) To serve, place chicken on one plate and potatoes on another.

Serves 4