for me, this is it. this is the one dish to end all dishes. on an island? had to eat one thing forever? give me a pasture raised bird, some sea salt, and four hundred degrees farenheit. i'll be plenty satisfied from now until the rescue mission arrives.
the recipe is simple, and reproduced below, but for the extra special feeling of reading thomas keller's nostalgic description of his own favorite chicken recipe, follow the link to epicurious here.
INGREDIENTS
1 pature raised chickensea salt
1-2 sprigs thyme
Directions
pre heat the oven to four hundred and fifty degrees. rinse the bird, inside and out, and pat dry with a paper towel. salt (and pepper) the inside cavity, trellis the bird, and salt the outside. place the bird in a large pan and roast in the oven for forty five minutes to an hour. the bird is done when the skin is nicely browned, and the internal temperature is around one hundred and sixty degrees.
remove the bird from the oven and add the sprigs of thyme to the fat. baste the bird with its' fat for ten minutes while the bird finishes coming up to temperature outside the oven. slice and serve. heaven.