Roast Chicken, with Braised Potatoes

This is more about the potatoes, really.
I've blogged about roasting chicken at high heat before, at 500F (260C) -- which keeps the chicken moist, and the skin ultra crisp. This time i did the same, with some improvements. I made a puree of garlic, shallots, salt, white pepper, vinegar and olive oil (yes, 1 whole bulb of garlic, 1 large shallot, and then rest in small quantities :) )..and carefully separated the skin from the chicken, and pressed in the puree, around. This is not hard to do, but you need, short, sharp knife. I'm lucky enough to have a nice one.
While that sitting, i made a real quick stock, with the neck, wings, and giblet/liver of the chicken, which was a prima whole. David Blacker's asked about stocks, recently -- and its a complicated subject, from even the little i know, and a proper one takes 24+ hours -- but you can make a quick stock in your pressure cooker in 40 mins or less. Just add the pieces, may be some vegies and let it cook, trying not to let the steam out at all, after the initial boil, since you want to conserve the liquid. For this dish, i used about 350 ml (1.5 cups, say) of water, in the pressure cooker.
Then i peeled a whole bunch of small potatoes..yes, i did it my self, since Chandra the cooking lady had left for the day, i got a special prize for it, so there! -sauteed them in butter and olive oil in a medium sized oven proof skillet, and when they were nice a coated, adding the strained chicken stock in. When it was simmering, i placed the marinaded chicken right over the potatoes
and transferred it to the oven, pre-warmed to high heat (260C). 15 mins on each side is plenty, some times you can do with less. Once the chicken is done, the juices have dripped into the potatoes, and they are really on their way, to being outa this world. If they are soft, remove from the skillet, and reduce the gravy, if not, let them braise until they are. Right at the end, you can add tarragon, or thyme to the sauce, which has a soft, comforting, real home made flavor. Salt to taste, and pour over the chicken and potatoes.

Not bad at all. This was my first try with potatoes this way, and they were soft, with out being mushy, distinct from the sauce, but really complimentary.
I made this for my niece, who then never showed up. She is sorry now, she says :)