Love Potion Chicken

This is another recipe based on a Bon Appetit recipe. I have re-dubbed it "Love Potion Chicken" because the herbs used in it, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, are traditional love potion herbs of legend (thus the reference in "Scarborough Fair"), but also because it's so good that you could probably hook just about anyone you want if you made it for them. Jeannene certainly loved it. I added a package of frozen, diced butternut squash to the potatoes & shallots for cooking, just because I had it on hand & it sounded good. It turned a little mushy, but tasted great. You could always add it later or dice fresh squash to add. We had a green salad and some good bread on the side.

Love Potion Chicken

1 4 1/2 lb. roasting chicken

2 tsp. rosemary

1 1/2 tsp. sage

1 1/2 tsp. thyme

2 bay leaves

1 lemon, halved

5 tbsp. olive oil

4 small russet potatoes, quartered

8 lg. shallots, peeled

14 oz. can chicken broth

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp. butter, cut into 6 pieces

Minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub chicken with salt. Mix rosemary, sage, and thyme with some freshly ground pepper. Rub some of the mixture on the inside of the chicken. Place 1 bay leaf inside the chicken. Rub chicken with olive oil and  sprinkle with some of the lemon juice. Sprinkle with half the remaining herb mixture. Place the lemon halves inside the chicken. Put in metal roasting pan, surrounded by potatoes, shallots, and any other veggies you'd like to add. Sprinkle veggies with the rest of the olive oil and the rest of the herb mixture. Top with the other bay leaf. Roast about an hour and 15 minutes. Place on platter and tent with foil. Place juices from roasting pan in 2 cup measure and skim off fat. Add enough broth to equal 2 cups. Set the roasting pan over 2 burners, add balsamic vinegar, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Scrape bottom to deglaze. Cook until reduced to a glaze across the surface of the pan, about 4 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Over low heat, whisk in butter, a piece at a time, stirring to incorporate after each addition. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in parsley. Serve over chicken sliced from the bones. Serves 4. (If you don't want all the fat of the sauce, the chicken is really good even without it)