Foolproof tips

So for the chicken... I took breasts (on the bone with the skin...I know, not healthy, but boneless breasts in the oven can dry out really quickly) patted them dry with a paper towel, and put them on a broiler pan (the underneath lined with foil). This way, fat from the chicken drips down through the slots of the broiler pan and your chicken isn't sitting in it. Then, mix room temp unsalted butter with fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper (I put a bit of fresh garlic in it too, but not a lot). Stick your finger up in the skin of the chicken to loosen it up.. and then shove the butter under the skin. Really rub it around so it's all under the skin. Then brush the outside of the skin with melted butter. Season with salt & pepper (I use sea salt) and put in a preheated 450 degree oven and bake for about an hour. The skin should get really golden and crispy, and the meat is going to be really juicy and not at all dried out.

For the potatoes... these are my awesome potatoes. I love them. Cut a bunch of baby potatoes in half, and boil them until just tender. Drain the potatoes, then heat up equal parts olive oil and unsalted butter in a skillet. Put the drained cookied potatoes in the skillet after the butter turns frothy, and cook the potatoes again until they're nice and brown. Then add crush garlic, fresh thyme (or rosemary, or sage, or tarragon... just a strong fresh herb. I used thyme since I did thyme in the chicken) and salt & pepper, and cook until it's all mixed around. Usually some of the smaller potatoes are a little more cooked than the bigger ones, so they break as your turning the potatoes.. and then all the inside potato bits get all over the rest of the potatoes, and it's yummy. It makes them look rustic. I suppose you COULD skin them if you want, but I love leaving the skins on potatoes. Even in mashed potatoes. But by boiling the potatoes first, you ensure that they're fully cooked... and they don't get dried out.