I don't make roast chicken too frequently - all too often a recipe will turn out bland and uninspired. Recently however, I've made a few dishes that call for pimentón, or Spanish paprika. This spice is often used in restaurants but surprisingly difficult to find in stores. While paprika is frequently used just to add color (especially with deviled eggs), pimentón adds smokiness and heat and works great as a rub for meats.

I also appreciated this recipe's suggestion to simply place the bird directly on the oven rack, with the potatoes placed underneath to catch the drippings. Except for the difficulty of removing it from the oven (without dripping onto the heating element), this worked out perfectly.

The recipe is very straightforward - after the ingredients are prepared, they're virtually ready to be cooked. The rounds just needed to be coated with olive oil, seasoned, and mixed with the thyme before they could be spread out over the roasting pan.

The chicken (after it was cut), just needed to be seasoned before it was ready to go in the oven. I think I used a bit more spice than the recipe called for, but I wanted to make sure every bit of skin was coated.

I probably should have cut the lemon slices a little thicker as they ended up drying out too much. The pimentón was key for this recipe, since it gave the chicken some much needed extra flavor but didn't end up too overpowering. The roasting time was spot-on, as the chicken didn't dry out and the potatoes finished at the same time.