World's Best roast chicken (or how to be famous)

Recipes: Alice's roast chicken, Sweet corn, Greek salad

Roast chicken is something everybody thinks they know how to make. Easiest thing in the world. Why is it then that roast chicken tends to be
. . .not cooked enough
. . .dry, especially the breast
. . .tasteless
. . .boring?

Well, roasting a chicken is not quite as straightforward as just turning on the oven and putting a chicken in for an hour, although it's almost that easy.  I'd love to be able to say I invented this truly never-fail roasting method myself, but no. It comes right out of Alice Waters' book The Art of Simple Food, with a minor tweak in the cooking time that's the only part that belongs to me. Here's how you do it.

Alice's Roast Chicken

If possible, have a whole chicken thawed and patted dry the day before you plan to roast it. Be sure to remove the giblets and neck from inside the chicken. Freeze them for another use, or discard them as you wish.

Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken all over, including the back and legs. Also salt the cavities of the chicken. You'll want to use about 2 tablespoons of sea salt in total, and as much freshly ground black pepper as your taste dictates. Put the chicken in a dish or bowl, cover it with cling film, and  refrigerator it overnight.

If it's not possible to do this the day before, any time you can leave the chicken to "marinate" in salt and pepper will be beneficial, whether it's an hour or several hours. If it's more than two hours, refrigerate it until an hour before cooking time.

On the day you plan to roast and serve it, take the seasoned chicken out of the refrigerator an hour before you roast it, so it can come to room temperature. This allows for more even cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

I usually stuff the main cavity of the chicken with a big handful of fresh herbs - rosemary, perhaps, or some sage leaves and fronds of oregano. You could also stuff it with separated and unpeeled garlic cloves, which you can squeeze out over the chicken when it's done. Or you can stuff it with halves of lemons or limes, or a combination. Or you can decide not to stuff it at all. It will still be delicious.

I'd caution you not to stuff the chicken with a regular bread-based stuffing. It's too dense and would keep the chicken from cooking evenly. Save this kind of stuffing for large birds like turkeys that are cooked for a longer time, or, even better, bake bread-based stuffing in a separate baking dish next to the bird you're roasting.

Put the seasoned and stuffed chicken, breast side up, in a baking dish with sides that fits the chicken pretty closely. When the oven reaches 400 degrees, put it in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and turn it with tongs or forks so the back side of the chicken is up. Remember to be cautious as the pan will be very hot. Put it back in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.

When the next 25 minutes are up, take the chicken out of the oven and once again turn it so the breast side is up. Put it back in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.

After the last 25 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest in the pan or on a cutting board for 15 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute themselves and the bird to finish cooking.

You're done, and your beautiful succulent roast chicken is ready to carve.

I like to serve roast chicken with traditional accompaniments. Since it's summer, sweet corn and a salad using the season's fresh tomatoes and cucumbers will be perfect, and will add color and beauty to your table.

Sweet Corn

I'm not a huge fan of cooking in the microwave. That said, this is the best way to cook sweet corn that I know of. Strip the husk off 2 large ears of sweet corn down to the last leaves next to the corn itself. Pull out some of the silk that hangs out of the husk.

Lay both ears together in the microwave and cook on High for 2 minutes. Turn the ears a third of the way around and cook them on High for another 2 minutes. Repeat this one more time for a total of 6 minutes (3 minutes per ear).

Pull the rest of the husk off the corn using hot pads, and clean off as much of the silk as possible. Serve with butter and sea salt. If you can get smoked sea salt, that's even better!

If you don't have a microwave or don't want to use it, here's an alternative. Strip all the husk and silk off 2 ears of corn. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, and put the corn in. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, add 1/2 cup milk, and cover the pot. Let it stand for 5 or 10 minutes. Serve with butter and sea salt.

Greek Salad

Cut out the stem from 1 ripe tomato and cut it into wedges. Season it with sea salt.

Peel 1 medium cucumber and slice it thickly. Cut in half lengthwise first if it is very fat.

Thinly slice 1/2 small red or yellow onion.

Arrange these attractively on a plate and sprinkle 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese over them. Add a few olives, if you wish - Greeks would probably use black olives, but I've found any kind I have is good.

Make a vinaigrette: Mix together 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano, and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Note: If you use dried oregano instead of fresh, use only 1/2 teaspoon.

Just before serving, sprinkle a little salt over the vegetables you have arranged on the plate and then spoon the vinaigrette over all. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Buon appetito!