Hibernation Chicken

I'm officially hibernating... driven into my cave by weather no sane person would voluntarily endure. I ventured out on Saturday to get food and see if anyone else was out. Despite the snow there were lots of people trudging around the market – some of them even seemed happy. I stocked up with enough food to get through the winter and headed home.

Tonight I roasted a chicken based on a recipe from the Balthazar cookbook. First, make an herb butter with softened butter, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Push the herb butter under the skin, rubbing any extra around the outside. Trust me, there'll be extra... on your hands. You have to do it with your hands so be prepared for butter fingers. Brown the chicken on both sides and then finish it in the oven. The herb butter makes it moist and herby. The fennel and sweet potato were also browned in a pan and then roasted.