Cooking Steps

Preheat oven to 425°. Mix the spices and chopped tarragon into the melted butter and pour both inside and outside the chicken, spreading it evenly with your fingers or a basting brush (if you can find yours–I was not so lucky). Stuff the cavity with the onion and bay leaves. Chop the sweet potato and, after buttering a cast-iron skillet, toss the pieces in the skillet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Settle the chicken on top of the sweet potatoes and roast on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the pomegranate juice and pepper into a pot. Peel and squeeze the clementines, adding the remnants of the fruit to the juice in the pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the glaze has reduced. When the chicken is cooked through with a golden-brown skin, remove from the oven and brush the pomegranate citrus glaze over it. Let cool slightly before carving.