Recipe - Garlic Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

1. Whole chicken (with skin) - 1 kg
2. Garlic cloves - 20
3. Garlic paste - 4 tsp
4. Ginger paste - 2 tsp
5. Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
6. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Potato - 3 medium
8. Tomato - 1 medium
9. Onions - 3 medium
10. Salt - as [er taste
11. Red wine - 3 tablespoon (at least)
12. Vinegar - 2 tsp
13. Lemon juice - 2 tsp
14. Lemon - 1 whole
15. Olive oil 

Method

1. Wash the chicken with clean water and pat dry
2. Slowly separate the skin of the chicken from the body (without removing it). Make as much space as possible between the body and the skin
3. Apply the garlic paste and ginger paste to the chicken skin and also on the body beneath the skin. Apply on the insides of the chicken as well
4. Sprinkle the red chilli powder and cumin powder on the chicken and spread it around using your fingers
5. Sprinkle a little salt on it and also a little olive oil
6. Prick a lemon with a small knife and place it inside the chicken cavity
7. Pre-heat the oven to 240 C.
8. Roughly cut all the vegetables into around 1/2 inch pieces and spread them around the baking tray
9. Sprinkle olive oil and lemon juice on the veggies and place the chicken on top of the veggies
10. Put in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200C for 1 hour (1kg->1hour)
11. Once done, take out the chicken and let it rest for at least 15 min before serving

For the gravy

1. After taking the chicken out of the oven, put the baking tray with the baked veggies on a burner with medium to high heat
2. Put some water in it along with vinegar, and red wine
3. Mix a little salt and mix it and let it cook for some more time till the veggies are soft
4. Mash the veggies using a potato masher and let it all cook for some more time
5. You can eat the gravy as it is now or pass it through a sieve to make make it more consistent - the taste is amazing either ways
6. Serve the roast with the gravy

Tip

1. Keep tasting the gravy to adjust the amount of salt, vinegar and red wine
2. The type of red wine used makes a difference to the taste. I prefer a very smooth merlot + shiraz