Herby roast chicken

Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Using a zester or fine grater, grate the zest of 2 lemons in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and paprika.
Peel the garlic cloves, dice four of them and add to the mixing bowl. Leave two cloves whole to use as stuffing.
Finely chop the thyme and parsley and add it to the mixing bowl as well.  Leave a few sprigs unchopped for stuffing and set aside a little bit of the chopped herbs for garnish.
Grind up the mustard seeds and add to the mixing bowl.
Add a dash of olive oil and work the ingredients to a rough paste with a spatula.
Place the chicken in the mixing bowl and start working the rub into it, making sure you rub inside and out.
Roughly chop the carrots and onion and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Add the baby potatoes and chicken stock and place the chicken on top of this veggie bed.
Cut one of the lemons in half and place the lemon, whole garlic cloves and a remaining sprigs of herbs inside the cavity of the chicken.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes for every 500 grams of chicken, plus an added 20 minutes for good measure.
Baste the chicken with some of the juices from the bottom of the pan every 20 minutes or so.
If you have a thermometer, chicken is cooked when it reaches around 75 degrees celsius, measured at the thickest part.
You can also check by inserting a sharp knife into the breast, if the juices run clear your chicken is ready.
Let the chicken stand for about 15 to 20 minutes before carving, as it allows the juices inside the meat to redistribute and will result in a much juicier bird.

Reprinted with permission of Real Men Can Cook.
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