Herb Roast Chicken with orange/purple roast veg and choc brownies

We are on a very quick turnaround this evening, as we have to be at puppy training classes by 7.  I have taken the Corgi's out for their second walk of the day and need a quick and easy dinner - luckily Waitrose had large 2 kg chickens marked down!

I am a great believer in letting the roast do the work and make the gravy.  So, chop up a lemon into 4, give them all a little squeeze as you put them into the cavity and then add bruised tarragon.  Carefully pull back the skin on the breast and stuff some bruised tarragon between skin and flesh to perfume the meat.

Next, chop an onion in half and put it cut side down in the roasting dish, season the chicken and pop it into the roasting oven for 2 hours (I also do mine on the first set of rails up).

I am doing Brownies for pud (always a crowd pleaser) so put my choc and butter in a pyrex bowl to start to melt on the back of the Aga.  I am always far too impatient to wait so end up putting it over simmering water on the simmering plate but always start it off at the back.

While the chicken is roasting, I prep by peeling and thickly slicing the purple and orange veg = sweet potato, butternut squash and chantery carrots with red onions and beetroot.  Pop these onto the roasting tray, add several whole cloves of garlic (minus papery outside) drizzle it all with olive oil, season and add 1 tsp dried chilli seeds.

The veg will take about an hour, just before you put them in, heat the tin on the roasting plate then pop them on the top rungs of the roasting oven (make sure you have the fan on) and leave them alone.  This also helps to ensure the roast chicken doesn't over brown.

Now, on to the chocolate brownies - try Secrets of Aga Cakes by Lucy Young.  The joy of this recipe is that its fit perfectly into the small roasting tin.  I have invested in Aga bakeoglide as I hate, hate, hate the faff of cutting out circles of paper etc.  Absolutely pure ingredients - 350g dark choc, 225g butter, 4 eggs, 225g caster sugar and 75g SR flour.  Beat the eggs and sugar together, pour in the melted choc then stir in the flour, then pour into the tin.  I add in some large out of season raspberries which are languishing in the bottom of the fridge.  On my Aga, I reckon 30 mins on the grid shelf on the baking oven floor and then pop in a cold shelf for another 10 mins or so.

Lastly plates in, awaiting return of husband to do a quick carve, pour over gravy, and tuck in whilst watching Strictly:  It takes two.  Am getting used to Zoe Ball, but she's no Claudia.