Easter roast chicken with quick pickle

Ingredients:

• 600g baby potatoes (regular potatoes or sweet potatoes cut in wedges work well too)
• 1 whole (about 1.5kg) chicken
• Salt and milled pepper
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) olive or canola oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, rosemary or origanum leaves (optional)

Quick pickle:

• ½ cucumber, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 Tbsp (45) red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp (15ml) water
• 1 Tbsp (15ml) sugar
• 1 tsp (5ml) salt
• Handful fresh basil and or mint, for serving

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place chicken and potatoes on a large roasting pan.
3. Combine salt, pepper, oil, garlic and thyme and coat chicken and potatoes with mixture.
4. Roast for an hour or until chicken juices run clear when pierced with a knife and potatoes are golden and cooked through.
5. For the pickle, toss cucumber and red onion together.
6. Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a pan and pour over the cucumber and onion.
7. Pickle for 30 minutes, then drain.
8. Serve chicken with basil or mint and quick pickle.

Good idea: Stuff cavity of chicken with a handful of herbs and a halved onion or lemon for extra flavour, if you like.