THE PERFECT ROASTED CHICKEN

• 1 roasting chicken, 3½ lb, giblets reserved for another use, rinsed and patted dry

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature or 2 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 2 fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs, stemmed and chopped

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Rub the outside of the chicken with the butter and season inside and out with salt and pepper and the chopped rosemary or thyme. Truss the chicken, tying the legs together with kitchen string, and tuck the wing tips under the back.

Place the chicken, breast side down, on an oiled V-shaped rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken on its side and roast for 15 minutes longer. Turn the chicken on its other side and roast another 15 minutes. Turn chicken breast side up and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 170 F, about 25-35 minutes longer, for a total roasting time of about 1 ¼ hours.

Remember to baste the chicken with the fat in the roasting pan every time you turn it.

Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. Let rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 10-15 minutes before carving. Makes 2-4 servings