Whole Roast Peri-peri Chicken

A different way to roast chicken. I have given the recip using a 2 kg (about 4.5lb) bird so that there is some meat left over for sandwiches the next day. Without leftovers, a 1.5kg-1.8kg (3 1/4 - 4lb) chicken would be about enough to serve four people. If you use a different size to the recipe below, work out the cooking time based on 20 minutes per 450g (1lb) plus 20 minutes. Regardless of what size bird you use, spread it with te peri peri sauce and add the onions and potatoes 45 -50 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Preheat the oven to 200C (fan 180C), 400F, gas mark 6. Sit the chicken in a large roasting tin, season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Place in the ove and cook for 1 hour. Meanwhile prepare the peri peri sauce. Peel and roughly chop the garlic: halve, deseed and finely chop the chillies and place both in a msall bowl. Finely grate in the ginger (unpeeled) and then add the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, tobasco, smoked paprika, oregano and sugar (if using). Finely grate i the lime zest and then squeeze in the juice and mix togethher.
Remove the chicken from the oven after 1 hour and tip three-quarters of the peri peri sauce on to it, spreading it all over with the back of a spoon.
Peel and quarter the onions, leaving the roots intact, and toss them in around the chicken along with the potatoes. Season them with salt and pepper and then reutrn to the oven to cook for 50 mins. At the end of the cooking time the chicken will most likely look burnt, but worry not, as this peri peri style. To check the chicken is cooked piece the thickest part of the thigh with the point of a sharp knife and the juices should run clear. Check the meat has no pinkness remaining either and that it completely cooked through. Once cooked, carefully lift the chicken form the roasting tin on to a large plate and cover it loosely with tinfoil so it can rest and become and juicier. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables from the tin too, tranferring them to a mediume ovenproof dish. Then put them back int he oven (with the oven now turned off) to keep warm.
Carefully pour the oil out of the roasting tin, leaving the juices and sticky bits behind. Put in on a mediume heat and add the remaining sauce and 150ml 1/4pt water, stock or red wine. Allow to simmer for a few mis scraping up all the sticky bits from the bottom.
Meanwhile prepare the salad. Squeeze the lime juice into a mug or small bowl and add the sugar (or honey), oil and a little salt and pepper. Give it a good whishk up. Tip the salad leaves into a large serving bowl, pour the dressing over and toss the leaves about.
Returning to the chicken pour any juices on the palte and the sauce before carving the meat. Arrange ont serving plates with the roasted oninons and potatoes. Serve with the dressed salad and the sauces in a small dish.