Sunday Oct 01, 2006
from The Kitchen Diaries Serves 4 Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour Cooking time 1 to 2 hours

Nigel serves this dish in two courses - the chicken and gravy, followed by the cheesy mashed potato.

 Ingredients
1.5kg/3lb 5oz whole chicken, with giblets
salt and freshly ground black pepper
butter
4-5 bushy sprigs thyme
2 whole heads garlic
2 large potatoes
For the gravy
1 small onion, halved
1 carrot
2 bay leaves
150ml/5fl oz white wine
400ml/14fl oz water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cheese mash
5 large floury potatoes
50g/2oz butter
100ml/3½fl oz hot milk
125g/4½oz mature cheese such as Wensleydale, Lancashire or cheddar, grated

Method
Set the oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6. Remove the giblets from the chicken and rub the bird all over with salt, pepper, butter and thyme leaves, pushing a couple of sprigs of thyme inside the cavity. Place upside down in a roasting tin. Cut the heads of garlic in half horizontally and tuck them beside the bird. Put the bird into the oven to roast.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut each one into about six (you alone know exactly how big you like your roast potatoes to be) and bring them to the boil in deep, salted water. Cook until they are almost tender, a matter of twelve minutes or so, then drain them.
After forty-five minutes' cooking, turn the chicken the right way up, add the potatoes to the pan, rolling them over in the fat, then let the chicken roast for a further thirty to forty-five minutes.
While the chicken continues to roast, make the gravy and the cheese mash. Put the chicken giblets in a pan with the onion, carrot and bay leaves and about 400ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for twenty minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut them into large pieces and bring them to the boil in deep, salted water. Once they have boiled, turn them down to an enthusiastic simmer till they are tender to the point of a knife, a matter of twelve to fifteen minutes or so.
Remove the chicken and potatoes from the roasting tin, together with some of the roasting juices, and keep them warm whilst you finish the gravy. Put the roasting tin over a moderate heat. Pour in the wine and 150ml/5fl oz of the giblet stock. Bring to the boil, pressing the garlic cloves with a wooden spoon to squash them, then season.
Drain the potatoes and beat them with the butter and hot milk. I do this in a food mixer but you could do it with a potato masher if you prefer. Stir in the grated cheese. Cover with buttered foil and place in the switched-off oven.
To serve: carve the now rested chicken and serve it with the roast potatoes and the small quantity of roasting juices that have collected in the dish. Once you have eaten, bring the gravy to the boil and check the seasoning. Serve the mashed potatoes on the same plates, spooning over the gravy and holding back the thyme and garlic as you go.

Author: Nigel Slater