What do you do with an excess number of jalapeños? Poppers might be the logical route, but they're not my favorite appetizer. Jalapeño jelly would also be a good option, but I did not have any canning jars on hand. I did however, have a whole chicken and some potatoes. Roasting the chicken with diced jalapeño spread under the skin and folded into mashed potatoes used up a few of the peppers I had on hand and the result was a mildly spicy chicken with really great jalapeño flavor. If you don't like spicy food, this recipe is still for you. It is barely spicy, I would rate it a 1 or 2 out of 5 on a spice scale.

For me, a perfect roast chicken has been elusive. I never particularly loved poultry as a child, as most of what was served was overcooked and tended to be on the dry side. When I started learning to cook I was following a vegetarian diet, and thus never learned to roast a proper chicken. In the past year as I have incorporated meat back into my diet, I haven't had many occasions to cook an entire chicken. It's a lot of meat for just two people!