Roast Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken, sweet potato
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For Roast Chicken

  • 1 whole 4-pound chicken, giblets reserved for another use
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 3 leaves of fresh sage, chopped
  • 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 tbsp celtic sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) pastured butter, softened to room temperature

For Sweet Potato Mash

  • 4 large sweet potatoes
  • 4 tbsp pastured butter
  • celtic sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 500 degrees
  • Chop garlic, rosemary, sage and thyme. I like to make a pile of the herbs including the garlic and salt & pepper and then chop them with a knife called a Mezzaluna. It takes no time at all to chop herbs with this tool. You can use a standard chef's knife as well.
  • Combine the herb mixture thoroughly into softened butter.
  • Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry with clean towel or paper towels.
  • Rub butter mixture all over chicken skin (I use my hands for this)
  • Arrange a rack in upper third of oven
  • Place chicken, breast side up, in a 9X12 glass Pyrex dish or in a roasting pan.
  • Put chicken in oven and start on potatoes
  • Poke wholes with fork around each sweet potato
  • Wrap each potato individually. First in parchment paper, then in foil
  • Put on a sheet pan and into oven on a rack underneath chicken
  • Cook chicken for 20 mins on 500 degrees or until skin is a light golden brown color
  • Turn oven down to 400 degrees
  • Roast chicken and cook potatoes for an additional 30-35 mins or until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  • While chicken is resting, you can pull sweet potatoes out of oven and either split in half and serve on plates with a pat of butter or scoop out the innards and blend with an immersion blender or hand blender and spoon onto plates
  • Now carve the chicken and serve