Garlic roasted chicken and soup

I'm sorry I haven't been around for some time. The news have been doleful, I've been doleful and not only doleful but also occupied with workthings that never stop....

But Ms MG was here on a flying visit this weekend and so I thought I'd share the meal I cooked for her. It was good, home-y food and I promise, not many dishes were dirtied in the making of it.

I made a garlic roasted chicken, only very slightly adapted from here which turned out lovely and crisp and juicy.It is so ridiculously easy - barely even a recipe at all.

Garlic roasted chicken

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken with legs and head lopped off
1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon of salt
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
Pepper to taste
plenty of garlic cloves (unpeeled)

 Rub the chicken all over (including the cavity) with olive oil, pepper and salt. Stuff the inside of the chicken to the brim with garlic cloves (no need to peel but if you like the garlicky smell to be stronger, you may crush some of the cloves slightly with the flat of the knife). Secure the garlic filled cavity with a toothpick (or two) and bung it into the 240 degree celsius oven for about 45 to 55 minutes (depending on the size of the bird). My chicken was done in 45 minutes and all juicy too so I was glad I checked at the 45 minute mark.

You can make gravy from the juices and oil left in the pan - but I didn't this time because I was also making a leek and potato soup alongside.

Jamie Oliver's leek and potato soup was fine, but I tweaked it here and there. First off, the simmering time of 10 minutes that it called for was much too short. I simmered for nearly an hour because I like my veg in a collapsing mess.  I added about 1/2 tsp of nutmeg which I've discovered, give a lot of savoury dishes this rounded flavour that I like. Mr Grey also discovered that the soup is even better when topped off with a generous amount of shredded cheddar and so that was how we ate it.

Finally, as there was both leftover chicken and a lot of soup, I shredded up the remaining chicken and dumped it into the soup thereby making it a roast chicken, leek and potato soup. I froze 4 portions and had one for lunch yesterday and very good it was too!

Oh and the chicken and soup used up 1 pot and 1 baking tray exactly - ain't that glorious?