Rinse chicken, pat dry, salt and refrigerate for 1-3 days, wrapped in plastic

On roasting day, remove from refrigerator, rinse, pat dry and resalt. Leave out at room temperature for 1 hour. If you can't do this, your cooking time will increase.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Put chicken in oven for 25 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare potatoes.

In large bowl crush garlic with mustard, thyme, 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, olive oil. Add quartered potatoes and mix well.

During last 25 minutes of roasting chicken, add in shallots and potatoes and figs around the chicken. (If you don't use potatoes, add figs in whole form 25 minutes into baking.

Use a meat thermometer to test chicken at 50 minutes. The chicken is done when the deepest part at the thigh not touching the bones reaches 165 degrees.

You may need to cook for 10-15 more.

Let the chicken rest for at least ten minutes before you cut it.