Brined chicken with roast apples and parsnip mash

For dry-brine, combine ingredients in a bowl.

Place chicken in a large non-reactive container and rub all over with dry brine. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.

Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking (1 hour).

Preheat oven to 190˚C fan-forced. For herb butter, combine ingredients in a bowl and season lightly.

Brush off remaining brine residue from chicken and discard (see note). Place lemon halves and herbs in cavity; tuck in wings and truss legs. Transfer to a roasting pan with a trivet. Arrange shallots and garlic halves around chicken. Rub herb butter all over chicken; season with pepper. Roast chicken for 30 minutes. Add apple halves to pan and roast until chicken is golden and juices run clear
when thigh is pierced with skewer (30-40 minutes).

Meanwhile, for mash, place parsnip and potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold salted water and bring to the boil; boil until tender (12-14 minutes). Drain; cover with a tea towel then steam dry. Return to pan and mash with a potato masher. Add cream and half the butter and beat until smooth and combined. Season and keep warm. Place remaining butter in a small frying pan over high heat and cook, swirling pan, until nut brown (2-3 minutes). Just before serving, transfer mash to a serving bowl and top with brown butter.

Remove chicken, shallots and apples from roasting pan and set chicken aside to rest (20 minutes). For pan-gravy, squeeze garlic from skin into roasting pan and place over medium-high heat. Deglaze with verjuice, scraping base of pan, until reduced by half (1-2 minutes). Add stock; cook until reduced by two-thirds (7-10 minutes). Strain into jug; whisk in mustard and rosemary; season.

Arrange chicken on a platter with apples and shallots, scatter with fried herbs and serve with parsnip mash and gravy on the side.