Roast Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes

To celebrate the day after Valentine's day (when I actually had the chance to cook instead of work), I wanted to make something really delicious and involved.  This was exactly what I had in mind!  It's not that it's difficult, just time-consuming, especially the prep part for me (perhaps other fast chefs can whiz through, but not this one lol).  Anyhow, I will definitely make this again...and again...  The potatoes are just amazing with the tender, barely sweet leeks, and bacon that doesn't overshadow all the other flavors.

Link to original recipe:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/roast-chicken-fingerling-potatoes-leeks-bacon.aspx

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, around 4 lbs. (I am not sure exactly what mine weighed)
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
2 T. finely chopped Italian parsley, plus 10 small sprigs
4 fresh or dried bay leaves, divided (I used fresh)
1 T. finely chopped fresh thyme, plus 2 sprigs
2 large leeks (the ones I used were slightly more than the diameter or a half dollar at bottom), white and light green parts halved lengthwise and then cut into 3/8" crosswise slices to obtain 4 cups total, dark green part of one leek chopped and reserved
3 strips thick cut bacon, cut in 3/8" crosswise pieces
1 T. olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs. fingerling potatoes, sliced in 1/8" rounds
1 1/2 c. chicken broth (I used half homemade chicken stock, half canned broth)
2 T. unsalted butter, microwaved just long enough to start melting but still have some solid (stir to form thick liquid)
dried thyme to season outside of chicken

Instructions:

1. Remove giblets packet from chicken, discard.  Trim off any excess fat from the cavity and neck, then dry with paper towels.

2. Generously season the chicken inside and out with 1 T. of kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. coarse ground pepper.

3. Stuff the cavity with the 10 sprigs of parsley, 3 of the bay leaves (if fresh, crush lightly), 2 sprigs of thyme, and the chopped dark green leek part (until cavity is filled; I was not able to use all that I had chopped).  Tuck the wings behind the neck of chicken.  Tie legs together with string. (**I did it this way this time, but I would wait to tie shut until later step next time.**)  Let chicken rest at room temperature while you complete remaining prep.

4. In a 12" ovenproof skillet (must tolerate 450°F; I used my cast-iron skillet), cook the bacon in the olive oil over medium-high heat, until it just begins to brown at edges.  (I think I may have forgotten to add the olive oil, but since I cooked a couple of extra slices for my kiddo, there was enough rendered fat.)  If you can do it, the recipe indicates to leave the bacon in the pan and spoon out all but 1 T. of the oil/rendered fat (and reserve what you spoon out).  I opted to remove the bacon, pour the oil/fat into glass measure, then pour 1 T. back into pan and transfer bacon back to pan.  Either way, make sure you reserve the rest of the rendered fat.

5. Reduce heat to medium and add the leeks, garlic, 1 bay leaf, and the chopped thyme.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft and transluscent (5 to 7 minutes).  Transfer to a plate.

6. Heat oven to 450°F.

7. In same pan, arrange half of potatoes in an even layer, then season lightly with salt and pepper (**the pink/purple colored ones in pic are just red fingerlings, not sausage as it might appear to some).

8. Scatter leek mixture over potatoes layer.  Arrange remaining potatoes in even layer over top of leeks.  Season again lightly with salt and pepper.

9. Pour broth over vegetables.

10. Pour 1 T. of reserved bacon fat into cavity of chicken (mine was already closed on the tied end, but the opposite end had a small opening, so I used that.  As I said in earlier step, I will wait to close chicken until after adding the fat in the future).

11. Brush the melted/soft butter over the chicken's skin, then sprinkle with the dried thyme.  Place the chicken atop the potatoes, breast side up.

12. Roast the chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165-170°F, about 1 hour.  (I actually set my oven to 435°F, as I find 450 to make chicken turn out on the dry side.  It took closer to an hour and a half.)

13.  The original recipe calls for transferring the chicken to a platter at this point and letting it rest for 15 minutes.  We were too hungry for that, so we just dug in and it was delicious.  Still, if you can stand to wait, it will probably make the bird even more juicy.  I also omitted the chopped parsley, which is to be added to veggies at the end.  Thus, serve the way you desire and enjoy!