Roasted Chicken and potato stuffing

My mother could do a lot with one chicken (and feed four hungry children and one hungry husband-- she was never hungry). She would often stew it (cook in in boiling water with celery and carrots) and she would eat the feet, no kidding. She'd nibble on those toes, like some of us like to nibble on the tips of the wings. She could fry a mean chicken. She would eat the back and neck, leaving the rest (best) of the chicken for the family. And she would often roast a chicken, making a potato stuffing -- a recipe she got from her mother-in-law -- to go with it.

I have modified her recipe very little.

Needed for the chicken:

1 large roasting chicken, innards removed
1 lemon
1/2 head of garlic
butter -- 1/4 of a stick
garlic salt
lemon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack under it, breast side up. Half the lemon and put it and the half-head of garlic -- no need to take the garlic apart, just cut a bulb in half -- in the cavity along with the lemon halves.

Cut the butter into small "bites" and dot the outside (breast, legs, wings) with the butter. Sprinkle liberally with the garlic salt and then with the lemon pepper.

Place chicken in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and cook for at least 1-1/2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken. I can tell when the chicken is done by wiggling the leg. If it moves easily, the chicken is cooked. Not scientific, but I haven't gotten sick yet.

The pan drippings provide a wonderful gravy, but the chicken is so moist gravy isn't really needed.

Needed for the stuffing:

6 medium potatoes
1 tspn salt
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 stick of butter (1/8 pound)
1 Tblspn poultry seasoning

Now for the stuffing to serve as a side dish. Pare and slice six medium sized potatoes. Make the chunks about 2" by 2". Put into a pot of water, covering the potatoes. Add 1 tspn of salt to the pot. Bring potatoes to boil and cook until you can stick a fork in a piece of potato and it comes out easily -- about 20 minutes. NOTE: You might want to turn down the heat so that the pot doesn't boil over but keep the water turning over.

Drain the potatoes. Smash them (not mash) until they are in small chunks. Put aside while you:

Finely chop 2 stalks of celery and 1 small onion (or 1/2 large onion)

In a separate pan (I use a frying pan) melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add the celery and onion to the melted butter and cook until the celery and onions are lightly browned. Then add the potatoes, and 1 tblspn of poultry seasoning. Mix well and let the potatoes get a little browned (or crisp) then chunk them up again (or stir them).

You now have a wonderful side dish -- my father's favorite stuffing -- potato stuffing. He preferred this to any kind of bread stuffing. My mother would often make this instead of bread stuffing to put into our Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey. She would prepare it the night before the turkey was to be cooked and put it in the refrigerator (or on the back porch if it was a cold night). .

I often make succotash -- another one of my father's favorites -- to go with this. Plus a salad of greens with cucs, radishes, mushrooms, and celery leaves, which is tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

For dessert? Any pie will do!

ttfn

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