Perfect Roast Chicken
3 pound chicken
2-3 thin skinned lemons
1 large garlic clove
1 tablespoon coarse (Kosher) salt
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove giblets and
excess fat from cavity.
Roll lemons to soften them. Pierce each lemon with skewer in about 20 places. Peel garlic and put through garlic press.
In a small bowl, mash garlic with salt. When you have a nice, odorous paste, smear half of it in chickenÆs cavity. Then put in lemons. (You may not be able to fit all of them.) You can, if you want, truss the chicken.
Rub rest of garlic paste outside of chicken. Put chicken on rack in roasting pan. Pour water into bottom of pan.
Bake chicken for 1 hour or until the drumstick just begins to move in socket. You shouldnÆt baste or, when serving, remove lemons from chicken's cavity. (They're not very pretty!) Serve pan juices if you wish.
