Recipe(tried): Roating TIps - Try this out for roasting chicken Gary

Hi Gary,

Firstly, it depends on what meat and cut you're using.

For chicken try this;

Remove all trussing string and season the chicken inside and out. Place an onion, some fresh herbs (must be fresh)and a bayleaf into the cavity.

Get a roasting pan with a rack inside it (The grill pan with it's rack is perfect for this) and pour 1 litre of water into the pan. I sometimes use half water and half white wine. You'll see why in a minute.

Season the chicken inside and out. Place your hand in between the skin and meat on the breast and gently work the skin loose from the breast meat. Spread about 100g of softened butter onto the breast meat, but under the skin (Use garlic butter if you want).

Place the chicken on the rack (breast side up) above the water. Brush the chicken all over with olive oil and then place 4 rashers of bacon to cover the breast.

Carefully put the chicken into the middle of a 200C pre-heated oven (remember to watch out for all that sloshing liquid in the pan)for 20 minutes.

Carefully take chicken out and brush again with olive oil.

Then lower the heat down to 180C and loosely place a sheet of foil (shiny side towards the chicken) over the chicken. Pop back into the oven for another 1 hour.

At the end of this time, remove the chicken from the oven and raise the temperature to 200C again. Remove the foil (keep this for later) and bacon rashers (eat now as cooks perks or keep warm and serve later).

Check the amount of liquid in the pan. You don't want it to ever go dry as this will be your gravy late and it will burn. Put a cup or two of water/wine in if it looks a bit low.

Brush the chicken all over again with olive oil and pop back into the oven for another 20-30 minutes, depending on how crispy you like the skin.

When done, remove the chicken and test to see it's cooked by placing a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh and look for clear running juices.

This next part is very, very important for a moist bird and is ignored by most people. Remove the chicken from the rack and place on a warm plate or tray and put it in a warm place for 20-30 minutes with the sheet of foil from earlier loosely placed on top again. This allows the juices that are on the outside of the meat at present to soak back in, making it really moist and juicy.

I use my upper oven as it has been heated by the lower oven during the cooking and is normally just right. Do not put in a heated oven. If you don't have a double oven, then you can turn off the oven you were just using and place it in there with the oven door open.

Now remove as much fat from the liquid in the pan as possible and scrape the pan with a spoon, getting all the bits from the bottom off as they have lovely flavour. Gently heat 1oz of butter in a saucepan until melted and add 1oz of plain flour. Cook the two together gently for a minute or two. Turn the heat up and add the liquid from the roasting pan to it, whisking as you do.

Keep whisking until it is smooth and starting to boil. Turn the heat down and gently simmer until chicken is ready. Best gravy in the World. If you let it cool briefly before serving, you can take more fat from the top if you're really health concious as it forms a sort of skin.

The meat will just fall from the bone, yet remain moist and juicy. Delicious!

I'll do beef another time (Braised and roasted).

Got to work!!