Chef notes
Five ingredients (not counting oil, salt and pepper) come together to make this a one-pot meal. Serve it with a salad and dinner's complete. Making deep gashes into the chicken before roasting not only allows the spices to penetrate more deeply, it also speeds up the cooking. And using a v–slicer or mandolin on the potatoes, speeds up the prep.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon gold or Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons harissa
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 6 whole chicken legs (about 14 ounces each)
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 425° and line the bottom of a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with parchment. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with the salt and pepper. Arrange in an overlapping layer on the parchment.
2.In the same bowl, combine the harissa, cumin, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
3.On a cutting board, arrange the chicken skin side up. Make 4 deep gashes to the bone in each leg (2 in the drum, 2 in the thigh). Add the chicken to the bowl and rub with the harissa mixture, being sure to rub some into the cuts. Arrange the chicken on top of the potatoes and roast for 1 hour, to an internal temperature of 165° on an instant–read thermometer. Carefully spoon off the fat and serve the chicken and potatoes.
Grace Parisi is a New York City-based food writer, cookbook author and food stylist. Her book, Get Saucy, was nominated for a James Beard award. Her latest book, Quick Pickles comes out in Fall 2016. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
