Roast Chicken and Stuffing

Roasting things is a very simple process - but often simple is good. So why do we need a recipe for roasting? Actually we don't - just stick the thing in the oven and wait til it's done ... So why am I writing a recipe for roasting chicken? Actually because some people haven't ever done it and may be hesitant to try and because a roast chicken is a gateway to all sorts of good things to eat.


1 Chicken

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse chicken in cold water, inside and out. Dry the chicken and place it in a heavy metal roasting pan. The pan should be thick enough so you can scrap the bottom afterward in order to make gravy - if you aren't planning to make gravy you can cook the chicken in a thin aluminum pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and stuff it if you like (but it will take longer to cook stuffed). Place in oven and let it cook about 1.5 - 2 hours.

You can, of course, do all sorts of things to the chicken - baste it with some sort of sauce, season it inside and out wih various spices - whatever.

A Clunky Stuffing

If you're lazy and don't have any Pepperigde Farm available - this will work:


Some cubed leftover bread (not of the Wonderbread type)

1 or 2 eggs

Thyme

Salt & Pepper

Celery

Onion

Oil or Butter

Chop up the celery and onion (about the same amount as you have bread - or less - whatever you want - this isn't one of those it really matters recipes). Saute them in a little oil/butter until they are a bit soft.

Add the onions and celery to the bread with salt, pepper and thyme and toss a bit to mix. Add the eggs (beaten first) - one at a time, until it all sticks together. Stuff it into the chicken and roast chicken as usual.

You can add an infinite variety of things to this recipe - green peppers are nice, so are apples ( but not together) - or mushrooms, nuts, raisins ....