Sometimes I just don’t feel like going swimming because I can’t stand the thought of taking off all my clothes.
I’ll wade though. Same thing with a chicken. I don’t always want to roast a whole chicken. I’m busy up here–I’m picking out mascara and three toned cover up and some solid, “I am woman” shoes to go to work in–so I bought the half chicken instead. Get the pan hot, add the olive oil and then the half chicken, seasoned with kosher salt, skin side down. Leave it along over medium heat until it is crossed the border of golden brown. Remove from the pan. Add one small onion cut into quarters, 4 whole cloves of garlic cut in half, about a tablespoon of balsamic, and a a good squeeze from half a lemon. Give this another few tablespoons of water and let it come to the boil.
Add a sprig of fresh mint, and a sprig of rosemary. Scrape it all into a small roasting pan that has been coated with olive oil. Set the chicken on top, skin side up. Around the edges add 3 carrots, cut in half and then into 2 inch pieces, and 3 yukon gold, fist sized potatoes, unpeeled and also cut into 2 inch pieces. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and a little freshly ground pepper. Roast at 400 degrees, pouring a few tablespoons of plain water over the chicken every 10 minutes two times, and each time, baste with the pan juices that form once the water goes in. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender and the chicken is cooked through. (The juices will run clear when the flesh is stabbed with a small sharp knife between the breast and the thigh.)