Weight-watchers NOTT!: Roast Chicken

Over the years my roast chicken recipe has basically been more or less consistent. Small variations crop up depending on mood and taste.

Ingredients
For the seasoning:
a handful of mixed peppers (roughly two tbsp)
coarse sea salt about 1 heaped tsp
about 1-2 tsp mixed herbs / thyme
1 tsp rosemary
(if you have fresh herbs, it would taste better)
juice of 1 small - medium lemon
2 -3 tbsp olive oil

for the Baked Potatoes - peel, halve and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes. Drain and shake the potatoes around in the pot to add fluff to it. Mix the potatoes in the seasoning juices of the chicken and just add to the baking tray. Crispy on outside, soft on the inside.
For the gravy:

mushrooms - cut / diced / halved / quartered (as you like it)

1/2 tin condensed mushroom soup

Method:

Pound the dry ingredients for the seasoning in a mortar (Note to EFS - lesung). Mix in the oil and lemon juice.

Preheat the oven to about 230 deg C. Place one medium to large sized chicken in a baking tray (backbone up) and smother with the seasoning. Add tomatoes if you like. Place in oven for about 20 min and then reduce to 170-180 dec C. Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 1 1/2 hours. You can (but don't really have to) baste the chicken to keep the skin moist.

For the last 10 minutes increase the heat to about 220 deg C to brown the skin. This cooking method will let the chicken cook and be tender and moist inside. The bone will separate without too much effort.

After cooking, place the chicken in a dish and let rest.

Now the gravy - place the baking tray over the hob on a slow fire, saute the mushrooms (not too long) and add the mushroom soup. Add a bit of water and mix.