Sumac once served as the tart, acidic element in cooking prior to the introduction of lemons by the romans. this tart, lemony red spice is harvested from shrubs in the middle east and traditionally sun-dried. a sunday dinner of roast chicken is one of my favorite weekend rituals but, just because we do it on the regular, doesnt mean its boring. one week its roast chicken with sage and garlic, others this spicy roast chicken situation, and this last weekend it was a twist on middle eastern zaatar with this sumac roast chicken. serve this great chicken with garlic goat cheese mashed potatoes, make-ahead mashed potatoes or sour cream mashed potatoes.