foodperson.com

Roast chicken the world’s easiest main dish to make, but these days you’ll be celebrated as a marvelous cook if you put one on the table.

You can read a lot of semi-complicated recipes, but essentially this is all you need to do:

1. Buy a whole Smart Chicken. (Among its other joys, it is packaged devoid of giblets and already trussed with string). If you get some other kind of chicken, make sure it’s thoroughly thawed and emptied of giblets, then tie its ankles together with string.
2. Place it, breast up, in a shallow baking pan or dish just large enough to hold it. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and thyme leaves.
3. Stick it in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes a pound, until it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
4. Take it out. Let it rest for about five minutes.
5. Carve and serve. Magnifique! (PBS shows you how to carve a chicken.)

I usually throw a couple of pieces of carrot and onion into the pan or into the cavity for a little extra flavor, but, who knows?, maybe I just think it adds flavor.

Extra tips:

• If you’re so inclined, you can baste the chicken periodically with oil mixed with a little melted butter for an extra pretty skin.
• Throw a couple of russets or a big, fat sweet potato or two in the oven, and bake them while the chicken roasts.
• Keep the carcass and make your own stock. I’ll do a tip on how to do that later!