Roast chicken and watermelon salad

Tam West

Make this dish while juicy watermelons are still about and tomatoes are sun-ripened. The amount of watermelon is a guide, use more if you wish.

Ingredients

1	Whole chicken, about 1.5kg (Main)
1	Lemon
25 g	Butter, softened
1 sprinkle	Tarragon leaves, or ½ Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
1 Tbsp	Olive oil, plus an extra good splash
3 Tbsp	Vinegar, good quality, such as chardonnay or sherry vinegar
1 kg	Watermelon, (approx) cut into thick slices, skin and remove as many seeds as you can (Main)
2 large handfuls	Cherry tomatoes, halved horizontally
½	Telegraph cucumbers, cut into pieces
125 g	Cherry buffalo mozzarella

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 190C. Place the chicken in a roasting pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine the finely grated zest of the lemon, the juice of ½ lemon, butter and tarragon leaves. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Gently slide your hand under the skin of the chicken to loosen it, trying to get into the leg and thigh a little, but at the same time being careful not to tear the skin. Rub the lemon butter into the chicken, over and under the skin. Pop the other half of the zested lemon into the chicken's cavity. Pull the chicken legs together and tie with kitchen string. Secure the wings by pushing a skewer through both. This will keep the wings close to the chicken breast. Drizzle over the olive oil.
4. Roast chicken for 1 hour 15 minutes, basting 2-3 times by spooning the juices over it. Remove the chicken from the oven to do this, so you don't lose heat from the oven.
5. Remove from the oven and place on a warmed plate. Cover loosely with foil and leave in a warm place.
6. Place the roasting pan over a very low heat and add the vinegar and a good splash of olive oil. Heat gently until warm. Taste for seasoning.
7. Combine the watermelon, tomatoes and cucumber in a shallow serving bowl and toss to combine. Place over the cherry buffalo mozzarella.
8. Carve the chicken, placing in a shallow serving plate as you carve. Spoon over warm pan juices. Serve chicken with its gorgeous juices and the watermelon salad.