Maggie Beer : Roast Barossa Chook with Preserved Lemon and Tarragon Butter

(pic: penguin)

Ingeredients :

125 gr unsalted butter, softened and chopped
2 small quarters preserved lemon, flesh removed, rind rinsed and finely chopped
One per three (1/3) cup French tarragon leaves
1 x 2 kg Barossa or other well brought-up cook
2 cloves garlic, crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
half cup of verjuice

How To Make :

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 170 Celcius degrees or 340 Fahrenheit Degrees

2. Place butter, preserved lemon and tarragon in a food processor and whiz to combine ; don't over process or the butter will split.

3. Place chook, breast-up side, in a shallow roasting pan and use your hands to separate the skin from the flesh, working from the legs then up and across both breasts. Tuck the wings underneath the chicken. Place garlic in the cavity. Push butter mixture under the skin with your fingertips. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and rub olive oil into the skin.

4. Roast for 40 minutes. Pour verjuice over the chook and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Check by inserting a skewer through the thickest part of thigh joint to make sure the juices run clear. If there any signs of pinkness, return to the oven. If you have a meat thermometer, it should read 68 Celcius Degrees or 155 Fahrenheit Degrees when inserted into this joint.

5. Leave the cooked chicken to stand, breast-side down in the roasting juices, in a warm place for at least 20 minutes before carving.