Recipe: Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Lemon, and Rosemary (crock pot)

ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATOES, LEMON, AND ROSEMARY

FOR SIZE: 6 TO 8 QUART:
4 medium yellow potatoes (such as Yukon gold), quartered
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 (4-inch) fresh rosemary sprigs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (3 1/2 to 5 pound) whole chicken, skin on, the giblets and neck removed, the bird trussed*
1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

Arrange the potato quarters in one layer in the slow cooker. Toss with the lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper. Lay the rosemary sprigs on top of the mixture.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Set the chicken in the skillet and brown on all sides, splattering everything in sight and working patiently to get good color across the bird. Once done, set the chicken, breast side up, on top of the rosemary. Drizzle the wine on and around the chicken.

Cover crock pot and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, until an instant- read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, with-out touching the bone, registers 165 degrees F.

Unplug the appliance, uncover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a carving board, slice off and discard the twine, and then slice the bird into eight or nine pieces. Discard the rosemary sprigs before serving the potatoes and any juices in the slow cooker.

For a richer sauce, transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and strain the sauce in the cooker into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then whisk in 1 or 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Drizzle over the chicken and potatoes.

*Because the bird is browned before it is put in the slow cooker, it must be trussed to hold together in the skillet. A trussed chicken is one that has been tied with butchers' twine to hold its shape as it cooks. The butcher at your supermarket can do this for you - or you can do it yourself. Use only dye-free, food-safe butchers' twine, available at all cooking supply stores and most hardware and grocery stores. To truss the bird, pull the wings close to the breast to protect the white meat, then tie them in place by wrap-ping the twine around the bird a couple of times before knotting it. Bring the legs together over the large opening, crossing them over each other before winding the twine around their ends and knotting the twine securely, thereby mostly closing the large opening.

Makes 4-6 servings
Recipe copyright 2014, Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: The Great American Slow Cooker Book by Bruce Weinsten and Mark Scarbrough