Tarragon is one of my favorite herbs. It is aromatic and flavorsome, with an aroma reminiscent of anise (as in anisette). Thus a little bit goes a long way. The dish that follows is quite popular in our crowd, mainly for it taste and ease of cooking. It’s simply roast chicken with tarragon as the main component. In fact, if you’re tired of the traditional turkey for this coming thanksgiving, cook one or two of these birds and serve it instead. Sometimes it pays to experiment.

TARRAGON ROAST CHICKEN

1 3 to 3 1/4 pound whole fryer-roaster chicken
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Sat and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Rinse chicken, inside and out, under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bush whole chicken with this mixture.
4. Sprinkle with the tarragon, inside and out. Put crushed garlic inside chicken, and place chicken in  a roasting pan, breast side down. Bake for about 1 1/4 hours until chicken is brown and a fork can be inserted with ease.
    Yield: 4 servings.