A new version of roast chicken

So we've started having my brother-in-law over for dinner every Monday night, and the first night we had him over, I decided to make Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken. And it was pretty perfect. It made the house smell great, the vegetables were fantastic, the chicken was moist. She really does know how to make a mean roast chicken.

I had watched her make this on her show, and she used slightly different vegetables than she puts in her recipe. So I added the parsnips that I saw her add on the show and then added some potatoes that I had. She also put the vegetables back in the oven to crisp them up a bit while the chicken rested. I felt like the potatoes definitely made it a full meal, all in one pan. Yum!

Perfect Roast Chicken
A variation on this recipe from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)





1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
4-6 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks (peeling is optional)
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Place the onions, parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Put the vegetables back in the oven while chicken rests to crisp them up a bit. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.