Much has been said about the simple elegance of a roast chicken. The idea of pulling a whole bird, skin crackling and schmaltz sizzling, from the oven for dinner conjures images of Julia in Paris or Ina in the Hamptons. It's a tried and true classic cosigned by the doyennes of good culinary taste. And as much as I love the romance of cooking and carving a whole chicken, sometimes I don't want to be burdened by the leftover meat it leaves me with after cooking dinner for two. So I've begun to buy whole chicken legs at the butcher. They're easier to wrangle, faster to cook and the perfect portion for a weeknight meal.

For this recipe, I've borrowed a technique from Samin Nosrat: brining the chicken legs in buttermilk, which practically guarantees juicy meat and beautifully lacquered-brown skin. The rest of the components—schmaltzy potatoes, tangy preserved lemon aioli and confetti-like herb salad—are there to add a festive and flavorful flourish to the plate. And even though the finished dish looks nice enough to serve to guests, I give you full permission (and even encouragement) to dig in with your hands. A craggy piece of tender chicken, torn off the bone and swiped through tart aioli is a simple pleasure we all deserve from time to time.

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Ingredients

2 whole chicken legs
16 oz buttermilk
1 lb small Yukon gold or red potatoes
1 whole egg
1/2 a preserved lemon, divided
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp chives, chopped
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp dill, chopped
2 Tbsp edible flowers (optional)
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Pat chicken legs dry, then season generously with salt on both sides. Place legs in a shallow, close-fitting dish and cover with the buttermilk. Let brine for one hour at the least and 24 hours at the most.

When you're ready to cook the chicken, pre-heat the oven to 425°.

Chop potatoes in half and add to the bottom of an oven-safe pan—I like to use my cast iron. Season the potatoes with salt and fresh-cracked pepper.

Pull the chicken from the buttermilk, scraping off any excess. Arrange the chicken atop the potatoes, skin-side up and bake for 45 minutes, or until the skin is well browned and the thickest part of the leg is 165º.

While the chicken cooks, make the aioli. Combine whole egg, lemon juice, pinch of salt, olive oil and vegetable oil in a tall, narrow container. Prepare half of the preserved lemon (that's 1/4 of a whole lemon) by removing the pulp and rinsing the rind under cold water. Roughly chop the peel and add to the container.

Place a stick blender all the way in the bottom of the container. Turn it on and move it slowly up until all of the oil has been combined and the aioli is emulsified—it happens pretty immediately.

Give the aioli a mix with a spoon and taste for seasoning. Add a touch more salt if needed.

Combine the chives, parsley, dill, flowers and the remaining preserved lemon that's been cleaned and minced. To serve, sprinkle the chicken and potatoes with the herb salad and finish with a dollop of preserved-lemon aioli.