Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

This was my first time roasting chicken legs, but I knew they would roast better than chicken breasts and I was really in the mood to roast something (maybe just so I could scarf the accompanying vegetable, roasted carrots.....mmmm yummy!).

Roasted Tarragon and Garlic Chicken,
with carrots and mashed potatoes

For the roast chicken and carrots:
4 chicken legs
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 C chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 yellow onion, medium-sized
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into equal-sized pieces
1 (14oz) can chicken stock, with 2-3 chicken boullin cubes dissolved into the stock
salt and pepper to taste

For the potatoes:
10 potatoes, washed,peeled, and quartered
4 Tbsp butter
milk
garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste

For the gravy:
chicken drippings
3 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper, if needed, to taste

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F
Trim excess fat. Rinse the chicken legs and pat them dry with a paper towel. Be sure they are dry! Wet skin=yucky wilty, not crispy skin. Run your fingers under the skin on each chicken leg to create a pocket, this is where you will stuff in the herbs.

Grate the 1/2 onion. Mix with tarragon. Heat the olive oil in a pan, saute the minced garlic until softened and fragrant, let it cool a bit, then add it to the onion and tarragon. Stuff the herb mixture into the pocket you made earlier on the chicken legs. Season the skin with salt and pepper and pat some of the herb mixture on top.

Place in a roasting pan with the prepared carrots. Roast 15 minutes, then pour in the chicken stock. Continue roasting 10-15 minutes more, until internal temperature is about 165 degrees F and the juices run clear.

Meanwhile, put the potatoes in large pot, cover with water, add some salt, then put on the stove and bring the water to a boil. When the potatoes are done, a fork will slide through them easily (about 10 minutes). Drain the water. I like to put the potatoes back in the pot, then mash them, then add the butter and milk till they are smooth and creamy. I season with salt, garlic salt, and a bit of pepper. Then I put a lid over them and keep them on the stove (heat off) to keep them warm. When it's time to serve, they may need more milk to make them creamy again.

Once the chicken is done, pull out the legs, put on a plate, cover with foil, and let them rest while you make the gravy. Remove the carrots from the pan, and cover those as well. If you are cool like me and roasted your chicken in a stainless steel roasting pan (or if you used a dutch oven roasting pot), you can make your gravy on the stove. Super cinch.

Just turn the burner on to medium, add the flour, one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition. Then watch your gravy thicken and oila!! Gravy is ready. (If you want to be finicky, you could strain the juices prior to adding the flour, but I LOVE the tarragon and garlic and in my gravy. So I don't.)

Plate up and enjoy!