Prevent your screen from going dark
Makes 4 to 6 servings 1x
Time about 90 minutes
This backwards timing proved to be a mistake. A non-fatal error, but a “shoulda” for sure. You see, I put fiddleheads and ramps in the roasting pan at the beginning, drizzled with some olive oil because I knew the juices wouldn’t be there to keep them moist and I didn’t want to dilute the drippings with water or even stock. So duh. They caramelized. Deliciously, fortunately. But the whole point of spring vegetables is to keep them springy—not wintery.
The solution is simply to wait to add the ramps and fiddleheads—green onions and asparagus are another option, as are fistfuls of big spinach leaves—until it’s time to crank up the heat. Then there will be some liquid in the bottom of the pan, and greenness will prevail. Thus, in this rare case, the photo does not match the recipe.
1. Heat the oven to 300°F. To spatchcock the chicken, cut down the backbone on both sides to remove it. Score the cartilage between the two breasts so you can open and flatten the bird in a large roasting pan. Remove the wing tips and any excess fat. (Save all the trimmings for stock if you’d like.)
2. Salt the chicken generously under and over the skin on all sides and spread it out in the pan again and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes to come to room temperature.
3. Trim the tops and bottoms off the ramps (or scallions), pull away the outer layer if it’s slimy, and rinse well under running water, especially between the stalks. Trim the fiddleheads and submerge them in a bowl of water to dislodge any stubborn grit, then rinse them. (Rinse spinach the same way. If using asparagus, trim the ends after rinsing and peel the bottom if you’d like.) Leave everything whole.
4. Roast the chicken undisturbed until the juices start flowing and the skin begins to dry and crisp, 45 to 60 minutes. Crank the oven to 425, remove the roasting pan, and scatter the vegetables around the chicken and toss them in the juices. Drizzle them with olive oil and a sprinkle of water if you’d like more drippings and return the pan to the oven. Continue roasting until the chicken is no longer pink at the bone, the skin browns, the vegetables are tender, 10 to 20 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Toss the vegetables in the pan juices, taste and adjust the seasoning, adding black pepper. Carve the bird and serve with the vegetables—and the radish salad!
— Recipe developed by Kerri Conan