Garlic Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Want to keep the vampires away this Halloween? I do ;) So when my soon-to-be-husband showed me this roasted chicken recipe that he found in the food section of the Washington Post, I was ecstatic! I quickly skimmed through the recipe and when I noted that it calls for three heads of garlic, I gloated with glee. I began to fantasize about how intoxicating the garlicky aroma would be with three whole heads of garlic roasting in my oven. Garlic is something that is never scarce in my kitchen, so I set out to test try this recipe right away. I also decided that three heads of garlic just wasn't enough so I whipped up a batch of garlic roasted potatoes (this uses one head of garlic), which paired perfectly with the chicken. I guarantee that if you have these two dishes cooking in your oven, no vampire...nor date...would come near you.

This garlic roasted chicken is nice and tangy with lemon, and with a sweet garlicky aroma that will be sure to fill up your house - a preparation for dark meat.

Garlic Roasted Chicken



Ingredients:
3 heads of garlic, peeled, separated and minced (I used a food processor to chop the garlic after I peeled the gloves and this worked superbly)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4 large lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 to 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 to 1 tbsp kosher salt, or to taste
8 chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks attached; about 5 pounds)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, have ready a large (about 12X17 inch) baking pan.

2. Combine the minced garlic, lemon juice, oil, oregano, pepper and salt to taste in a medium bowl, stirring to mix well.

3. Evenly coat the chicken pieces on all sides with the garlic mixture and arrange in single layer, cut side down, in the pan

4. Bake for about 55 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned, for the remaining 15 minutes' baking time, basted and cover with aluminum foil (to keep the garlic bits from burning). Baste once more before the chicken is done

5. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter.

6. Pour the fat from the pan; add just boiled water and stir to dislodge any browned bits, creating a sauce. Pour into a bowl.

7. To serve, sprinkle chopped parsley over the chicken an either pour the sauce on top or pass it at the table. Serve warm.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds small red potatoes
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 head of garlic - minced garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

2. Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated.

3. Transfer the potatoes to a baking pan. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Flip with a spatula every 15 minutes during cooking in order to ensure even browning.

4. During the last 15 minute of cooking, add the parmesan cheese and mix well using a spatula.

5. Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.