Roast Chicken with Herbs

Few things obsessed Beard more than a good roast bird. His method is almost aggressively simple — butter, salt, herbs, a hot oven, and frequent turning — and he argued that a chicken cooked this way needs no sauce at all.

1. Pat the chicken very dry inside and out and let it sit at room temperature for half an hour.

2. Rub the skin all over with softened butter, then season generously with salt and pepper and press the chopped herbs against the breast and legs.

3. Put the lemon and garlic in the cavity, truss the bird, and set it breast up in a roasting pan.

4. Roast at 450°F for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and continue roasting, turning the bird every 20 minutes, for about an hour more.

5. The chicken is done when the juices at the thigh run clear and the skin is deep gold and crisp. Rest it for 15 minutes before carving.