Sunday Supper

Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken is one of my favorite recipes.  It's really easy and I love waiting for it to cook.  It smells heavenly and makes my home feel so cozy.  I don't follow the recipe precisely, so I'll give you my version.

Ingredients
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch rosemary, thyme, sage or a combo of all
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, sliced thickly
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
8 new potatoes (I love the combo bags of red, yellow and purple from Trader Joe's)
Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

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 herbs (saving about 20 sprigs for later), both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter 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.

Chop the onion, carrots and potatoes into thick chunks.  (Refer to photo.)  Place the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of the herbs, and just enough olive oil that the ingredients are covered so they don't burn. 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 and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.