Ingredients
- 1 6 to 7 lb. chicken
- 2 lemons, rinsed
- 1/2 lightly packed fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut about 1-inch wide
- 1 lb. shallots and peeled and cut about 1 1/2 inches wide
Directions
Remove and discard giblets and lumps of fat from chicken. Rinse bird inside and out; pat dry. If desired, fold wing tips under first joint and tie drumstick ends together. Set breast side up on V-shaped rack in 11×17-inch roasting pan. Squeeze juice from half of 1 lemon, reserving remaining half. Thinly slice other lemon.
Starting at neck, gently ease fingers under chicken skin to loosen it over breast. Push 4 to 6 lemon slices and 6 to 8 sage leaves under skin. Place remaining lemon slices, reserved lemon half, and remaining sage leaves in body cavity.
In small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Rub about half this mixture evenly over chicken.
In bowl, mix potatoes and shallots with remaining paprika mixture until well combined. Distribute vegetables around chicken in pan.
Roast in 425° oven, stirring vegetables after about 45 minutes (add 1/4 cup water if pan begins to scorch), until potatoes are tender when pierced and thermometer reaches 170° when inserted through thickest part of breast to bone and 180° when inserted through thickest part of thigh at joint, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. (If chicken is done before potatoes, return pan with vegetables to oven and continue to cook while chicken rests.)
With carving fork, lift bird and tilt to drain juices into pan. Set chicken on rimmed platter. Arrange vegetables around chicken. Let rest in warm place about 15 minutes. Carve chicken and serve.
Note: Large roasting chickens tend to have more flavor than smaller “fryers”; many meat departments will order them. Kosher chickens larger than 4 lbs. can be difficult to find. You can order them online, or you can roast two 3 to 3 1/2 lb. chickens side by side in large roasting pan. Divide half the spice mixture evenly between the two chickens.
