Instant Love: Roasted Chicken

I don't cook meat very often, but I sure do love a roasted bird. I didn't start roasting things until about a year ago, and I'm glad I did.  A roasted chicken is so good, and so easy.  I'm sure there are ways to spruce this up, but a basic roasted chicken does it for me.  I take a couple of tablespoons of butter and mix it together with some salt and some spices (in this one, about 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. lavender, and 2 tsp. thyme).  Using my finger, I separate the skin from the meat and rub about half of the butter-herb mix directly onto the meat.  The rest of the butter I put on top of the skin - it usually doesn't stick very well, so I just plop some butter here and there, on the legs and breasts, and it melts nicely to make it brown.  Inside of the cavity of the chicken, I put some lemon and onion slices and a few cloves of garlic.  Cook at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours for a 3 pound chicken.  About an hour into the cooking time, I like to pour a cup of white wine over the bird to give it a little moisture and extra flavor.  About 15 minutes prep, then hang out, enjoy a simple home-cooked dinner, and save the rest for luncheon leftovers!

Note: you can usually get away with more salt than you think, especially rubbed outside of the skin.  And, when in doubt, add more butter and a sprinkle of dried herbs on top!  Also, paying the extra dollar per pound to get an organic, free range bird really is worth it.  It tastes fresher, mine have always come out more moist than their processed counterparts, and it feels a touch better for the soul.