Dinner à la Thomas Keller: Roasted chicken

It was my turn to cook dinner tonight and the chicken sitting in the fridge was calling my name. A quick search of roast chicken recipes turned up the Thomas Keller recipe for cooking a whole chicken on a bed of root vegetables in an iron skillet. I was sold.

I stopped by Safeway after work and got a few ingredients: carrots, red potatoes, parsnips, a rutabaga and turnip, a yellow onion, some garlic, and thyme. After a little prep work, I tossed them all in some olive oil and added salt and pepper. The chicken was a simple treatment of salt and pepper inside and out, olive oil rub, a few garlic cloves and some thyme stuffed inside, then a little butter spread on the breast.

Pre-roasted chicken:

After cooking for 25 minutes at 475 degrees (HOT!), I lowered the temp to 400 and cooked for 45 more minutes.

And voilà!

Roasted chicken:

I removed the chicken and let it rest, covered in foil, for about 20 minutes while the veggies went back into the still-warm oven. Then, carving knife in hand, I chopped up Mr. Chickers. Dinner was served. And only 2 1/2 hours later!!

Post-roasted chicken and veggies:

Bon appétit!