Sunday Dinner

This was dinner. Simple, delicious roast chicken. Warm and comforting, this is a perfect dish to serve on a winter evening. The way I make it isn't so much a recipe as it is a cooking method.

The only special equipment you'll need is a roasting pan with a rack and a turkey baster.

1) Pre-heat your oven to 400. Get yourself a 3 to 4 pound chicken, and rise it off. Pat it dry with paper towels.

2) Melt about 3Tbsp of butter and set aside to cool a bit. Mix together about 1tsp of salt and pepper (to your tastes, I use about half as much pepper as I do salt). Rub the mixture all over your chicken, and sprinkle some inside the chicken as well. I also like to stuff a little softened butter under the skin, but I'll leave that up to you.

3) Place your chicken on its side on the roasting rack (inside your roasting pan, of course!). Pour the melted butter over it, stick that bird in the oven and set your timer for about 25 minutes.

4) After 25 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and baste with pan juices. Carefully flip the chicken over and place it on its opposite side. Baste that side with pan juices, and put it back in the oven for another 25 minutes.

5) After the second 25 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and baste with pan juices. Place the chicken in the rack breast side up, baste with pan juices AGAIN, and put it back in the oven for about 20 minutes. After the final 20 minutes, the skin should be a lovely shade of golden brown. Remove the chicken from the rack and let it rest on a platter or cutting board for about 10 to 15 minutes. Carve and serve with your favorite comforting side dishes.

That's it! It's all about the butter, simple seasonings, and the flipping. The rest period is also important. I used to freak out about getting food right out of the oven and immediately on to the table, but I have found that most dishes benefit from a little chill out period.