Roast chicken, five-spice gravy & bacon fat potatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 240°C. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Use kitchen scissors to cut along both sides of the backbone and remove. Turn chicken over and use your hands to press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten.
2. Pat the whole bird dry with paper towel, then season liberally all over with sea salt, ensuring you rub it into the skin. (If you can leave your bird to salt overnight, it will be even better. But continue on if you’re short on time.)
3. Using a pastry brush, brush the mayonnaise all over the chicken.
4. Place a nest of rosemary in the centre of a carbon steel pan or roasting tin. Nestle in your onion pieces. Place your basted bird on top of your onions, then transfer to the oven. Roast the chicken for one hour or until the internal temp is 75°C – the juices should run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh meat with a knife or skewer. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board to rest for 10-20 minutes.
5. While the chicken is roasting, make your bacon fat potatoes. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until just tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and then place the potatoes back into the warm pot to dry out, while you start your bacon.
6. Place a carbon steel or stainless steel pan. Add the bacon into a cold pan, then turn the heat to medium-high. Allow the bacon to gently cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the bacon has crisped up and the fat has rendered out. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon bits and set aside for later, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the lard to the pan and wait for it to melt and start shimmering.
7. Using tongs, carefully transfer the potatoes into the hot fat. Use a potato masher to lightly crush them. Season with salt. Cook, flipping every so often, for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy. Sprinkle with your reserved crispy bacon bits and coriander (if using), then serve.
8. While the chicken is resting, remove the pan juices, onion and rosemary from the roasting pan and set aside. Place the pan (without washing) over a medium-high heat on your stovetop, add the butter and wait for it to start foaming. Whisk in the flour until it forms a clumpy paste. Then whisk in the chicken stock, soy sauce and Chinese 5-spice. Simmer, whisking for 3-4 minutes, or until the gravy is smooth. Next, add the pan juices you reserved from earlier back into the gravy. Taste to check seasoning and add extra soy sauce or salt to taste. Set aside on the stovetop.
9. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with the five spice gravy and bacon fat potatoes.