Herb Butter Chicken Thighs & Potatoes

• 1 stick butter, softened (not melted!)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 lemon
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1 ½ to 1 3/4 pounds)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Olive oil (optional, depending on how saucey you want your taters)
• 1 1/2 pounds smallish (but not tiny/baby) red potatoes

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Make your trusty herby garlic compound butter: In a bowl, combine the butter, garlic, parsley, and salt. Finely zest the lemon into the butter and stir to combine. Slice the zested lemon into 1/4-inch thick rounds, remove as many seeds as you can, and set the slices aside.
3. Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, generously season both sides with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4. Wash, dry and slice your potatoes. How thin? Not too thin! This thin:
5. Take a generous lump (about 2 tablespoons) of the compound butter and spread a thin layer along the bottom of a 10- or 12-inch heavy skillet.
6. Slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and arrange them in an overlapping circular pattern. I enjoy the swirly layers technique (technical term)
7. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and if you wish, a drizzle of olive oil (I like fatty potatoes).
8. Arrange the chicken on top the potatoes, spread the rest of the compound butter on top of the chicken. Arrange a slice of lemon on each thigh.
9. Pop into the oven for one hour, until the skin is golden, the lemons are slightly dark around the edges and the exposed potatoes are browned and crisp, 1 hour (if you have a meat thermometer and are a worry wart like me, you can check that the chicken has cooked to an internal temp of 165°F). Peek into the oven once or twice throughout baking, tilting the pan and spooning the buttery juices onto both the potatoes and chicken. Serve the chicken over the potatoes and spoon some of the buttery pan liquid over the top!
10. Luna and I trying to find find the perfect light…
11. Admire. Enjoy!!