Instructions: Turn on the oven to the highest setting allowing enough time for it to warm up.

Having taken the chicken out of the fridge turn your attention to the spuds. If you want crispy potatoes with fluffy insides youll need to parboil them first. Peel them: then if they"re medium sized (about 60mm long) cut them in half lengthways.

If you have larger potatoes cut them into three lengths.

You want to make sure that they have a large surface area so that they become properly crispy.

Next simmer the cut potatoes in boiling salted water for five minutes no longer or they will disintegrate later.

Drain them in a colander; they need to be dry to aid crispness.

Put them back in the pan off the heat. Season add a wedge of butter and a splash of olive oil for flavour. and any herbs if youre using them.

Turn them over in the pan with a wooden spoon to rough up the edges and to make sure all sides are coated with fat.

All the chicken needs before it is put in the oven is a good seasoning inside and out then smear all over with butter including a dab inside.

Sit it in the roasting tin breast up squeeze over the juice of the lemon then stick the used fruit inside the cavity and tie the legs together.

Not only does this mean that the bird will keep its shape when cooked it also helps to keep it moist.

If youre not a fan of lemon leave it out. Some people like to roast a chicken upside down to let the juices flow into the breast meat then turn it upright for the final browning.

However theres a danger that the skin will rip and the juices will pour out giving you tasty potatoes but a stringy bird.

when do the potatoes go in?

Right at the start with the chicken. Place the potatoes around the chicken thev can touch but should not crowd each other then season again.

If youre roasting the chicken and potatoes separately add a puddle of white wine and water to the chicken tin (about 100ml of each). It should be just enough to end up a steam (you dont want the bird soaking in a hot bath). The idea is to keep the air around the bird moist which gives really juicy breast meat.

once the bird is in can i just forget about it?

This is makeorbreak time for the perfect roast and the temperature is crucial.

Turn down the preheated oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7 then slide the assembled tin onto the middle shelf: Roast for 20 minutes then turn down the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 and roast for a further hour.

Make sure that you spoon the juices over the bird about three times while its roasting and turn over the potatoes at the same tune even if youre roasting them separately.

After this time lift the bird from the tin and onto a warm serving dish: slide a fish slice underneath the bird with one hand and with the other stick the handle of a wooden spoon into its cavity.

Tip it so that the cavity juices pour into the pan then transfer the bird onto the serving dish.

Cover with foil.

Back to the spuds: turn up the oven to high turn them over again and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove from oven and turn it off.

serving up with gravy
This is where things can turn nasty as theres quite a lot to think about.

The chicken has been out for a good 10 minutes.

The potatoes need to be taken out so you can get at the tin and any veg has to be ready so that youve got the water for gravy. and it all has to stay hot.

The solution: tip the potatoes into their serving dish and keep warm in the turnedoff oven.

Tip up the roasting tin and spoon out the excess fat probably a few spoonfuls.

I like a thin unfloured gravy with chicken made from the water youve cooked your accompanying vegetables in.

Carrot water is especially good.

Drain enough vegetable water to make the gravy into the tin and tip away the rest leaving the veg in the hot pan with the lid on.

Set the tin over a gentle heat on the hob and while the contents bubble scrape up all the bits and simmer for a few minutes.

Taste and add more salt until its how you like it.

Dont strain it.

Perfect chicken perfect potatoes and perfect gravy are all now ready to go.

Serves 4

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