I would never admit this to my mother, but I enjoyed Martha Stewart on television. She had three different shows going at one time: “From Martha’s Home” and “From Martha’s Garden” were on HGTV; “From Martha’s Kitchen” was on Food Network. Both channels are part of Scripps. However, her legal woes got her off the TV (as did other network stars who ran into either legal or moral trouble) and she was sent to prison to pay her debt to society. She has come back strong as ever, proving that American spirit of getting knocked down and picking ones self back up again (much to the chagrin of jealous women everywhere who are angry Martha did what they did (or should be doing) everyday and made billions).
One recipe she had is a family favorite here. Martha was fond of bringing guests on her show, and one lady shared her dad’s roasted chicken recipe. You will need:
3 sprigs rosemary, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard (I use only French’s as they buy Montana mustard seed for their product), 1 lemon halved crosswise, two 2 1/2 to three pound whole chickens, 2 stalks celery cut in half crosswise, 1 small onion, quartered, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, 1 cup dry white wine (I use chardonnay)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Finely chop one rosemary sprig and one clove of garlic. In a small bowl, combine mustard with chopped rosemary and garlic. Rub each chicken inside and out with half a lemon. lace a lemon half in each cavity. Add to the cavity of each chicken a stalk of celery, two onion quarters, a sprig of rosemary and a clove of garlic. Rub chickens with mustard mixture and season with salt and pepper. Place on a rack in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle all over with white wine.
Roast, basting every 15 minutes until juices run clear, 1 1/2 to two hours. Add water or wine as additional basting juices are needed. Remove from oven when done, place chickens on platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove rack from roasting pan and place on top of stove over medium heat. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Pour reduced liquid over chicken or serve on the side.
I like to serve mashed potatoes and buttered corn with this meal, pouring the sauce over the mashed potatoes. Your house will smell so good when you make this dinner! I like to reserve the carcass and make chicken soup later.