The simplest roast chicken

Serves 4 Prep 15 mins Q Cook 1 hr 30 mins

2 unwaxed lemons 1 chicken (about 1.8kg), legs untied 6 bay leaves small bunch rosemary, broken

into sprigs 2 garlic bulbs, cut across the middle 1.5kg potatoes, peeled and quartered 2 tbsp sunflower oil 50g butter, softened broccoli or summer salad, to serve

1 Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve the lemons. Prick one lemon half all over with a knife, then put it inside the cavity of the chicken with one bay leaf, a few sprigs of rosemary and half a head of garlic. Slice the rest of the lemon halves into wedges.

2 Tip the potatoes and the rest of the garlic into a roasting tin, toss with the oil and season. Push the potatoes to the edges, making sure they’re evenly spaced out, then sit the chicken in the middle of the tin. Brush butter all over the breasts and legs, season and tie the legs if you like.

3 Roast the chicken and potatoes in the centre of the oven for 1 hr 10 mins, brushing twice with more butter during cooking. Use wooden spoons to lift the bird from the tin to a platter, then cover with foil and rest – this will give you a juicier chicken.

4 Increase the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and move the shelf up one rung. Toss the potatoes and remaining herbs and lemon wedges in the juices and roast for 15-20 mins, turning once, until crisp. Serve the roast with broccoli or a summer salad. PER SERVING 800 kcals, fat 39g, saturates 13g, carbs 67g, sugars 4g, fibre 5g, protein 50g, salt 1.9g