Taste: Roasted Bone-In Chicken with Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Roasted chicken can be one of those meals where you royally **** up and it comes out tasting like cardboard, or even worse, undercooked. But after dozens of times making roasted chicken, I've realized it's really simple to make perfectly cooked and amazingly juicy roasted chicken. It really comes down to cooking time and, in my opinion, the cast iron skillet. Pair this with old school, simple mashed potatoes, and you've got yourself a killer meal with very little effort.

*NOTE: Mashed potatoes are courtesy of my good friend-to-be, Tyler Florence.

Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 60 Mins.
Cooking Time: 35 Mins.
Serves: 2

2 Bone-in chicken breast with skin
3 russet potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, halved
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
2 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Bay leaf
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim the chicken of any unwanted fat, but leave the skin on. Rinse under cold water and pat dry. *NOTE: You want to make sure that the chicken is very dry before you add anything to it as this will ensure you a crispy outside skin. Drizzle the chicken breasts on both sides with the extra virgin olive oil making sure you rub them to lightly coat them. Generously sprinkle the chicken with the fresh rosemary, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, rubbing them again to get a good coating all over. Set aside and let it marinade for at least 1 hour (optional, however).

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. I like to drizzle some extra virgin olive oil in the pan and wipe it with a paper towel. A good way to see if the pan is hot enough is to flick some water on it and it should sizzle. Start cooking the chicken breasts by placing them skin side down for approximately 10 minutes. In the end, what you are looking for is a nice, golden brown skin. Turn the chicken over, cook for another 3 minutes, and then place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

In the meantime, peel and cut the potatoes into 2-inch cubes and place in a pot with water. Salt the water and place the bay leaf in the water. Boil the potatoes until soft and then drain well. Mash the potatoes with the heavy cream and butter. Fold in the chives once mashed and set aside.

Once the chicken is done, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Plate the chicken with the mashed potatoes and serve with a simple salad and glass of wine...or two.