Roast Chicken à la Julia

Ingredients:

1- 3 pound chicken,

whole teaspoon salt

divided 3 tablespoons unsalted margarine, at room temperature

divided 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 carrot, scraped, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into eighths

tablespoon minced shallot

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken cavity with – teaspoon salt and smear inside with 1 tablespoon margarine.

Truss chicken by tying legs together with kitchen string so that they are pressed tightly against the body of the chicken. Tie another piece of string around top third of chicken to hold wings against body.

Smear 1- tablespoon margarine over outside of chicken.

Set chicken into a roasting pan, breast side up, and surround with carrots and onion pieces. Place pan on center oven rack and roast for 15 minutes, turning chicken onto the left side after 5 minutes and onto the right side for 5 minutes. Leave chicken on its side. Baste chicken after each turn with olive oil.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue basting chicken every 8-10 minutes with remaining olive oil and pan drippings. After 30 minutes sprinkle side of chicken with – teaspoon salt and turn over to other side. After 15 minutes, salt side of chicken and turn it, breast side up. Continue basting.

Roast chicken for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until skin is golden brown, legs move easily in their sockets, and juices run clear yellow when thigh is poked with a fork.

Transfer chicken to a platter and remove trussing string. Tent foil paper over chicken and let rest 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Skim off all but 2 tablespoons for fat from drippings in pan. Place pan with drippings over stove burner(s) and turn heat to medium. Add shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock, turn heat to high, and boil mixture until it reduces to about cup. Season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove pan from stove, discard carrots and onions, and swirl in small bits of the remaining tablespoon of margarine, until fully incorporated. Cut chicken into serving pieces. Pour a spoonful of sauce over chicken and pour remaining sauce into a small bowl to pass around the table.

Makes 4 servings.