In The Kitchen: Garlic Roast Chicken

Well guys, I am officially on somewhat of a diet. Not like a hard-core diet, but one that won't consist of Enchilada's filled with cheese, or Strawberry Cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Tomorrow I am starting my sunrise yoga sessions, and I want to maximize my results by cutting out all that "good stuff" for a while. Then once I have reached my goal, I will re-visit those tasty treats...all in moderation of course :-)

Usually when I make a recipe from my Ina Garten files, it consists of about a pound of butter, or a kilo of cheese [sorry Ina it's true, but I still love you]. So imagine my delight when I came across this recipe which didn't include any of my aforementioned vices. Of course I made a few adjustments [I added asparagus, and used "red potatoes" instead of the "yukon gold" variety]. I also tossed in a bouquet garni [parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary tied together with kitchen string] inside of the chicken for added flavor. You can use any herbs you have on hand for the bouquet garni, or you can skip it all together. I like using herbs to give my dishes more flavor, it helps cut back on the salt content.

This was a delicious recipe, the chicken had a ton of flavor, and it was very moist. Pair this recipe with a nice Reisling, and hang the Do Not Disturb tag on the door. - Quick note; please remember to use KOSHER SALT, in lieu of table salt. If you use table salt, a salty mess will ensue. Here is a cool little kitchen reference that discusses the difference between Kosher, Sea, and Table Salt.

Garlic Roast Chicken [Adapted From Ina Garten]
1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
1 lemon, halved
1/2 large Spanish onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut diagonally into 2-inch chunks
5 large red gold potatoes, cut into 6 pieces
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 "bunch" of asparagus
1 bouquet garni [I used fresh parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary tied together with kitchen string, although you can use your favorite herbs]

As soon as you get the chicken home, salt it inside and out, wrap it and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, first preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with the all the garlic, bouquet garni and lemon.

Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place it in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it and the vegetables. Scatter the onion slices, carrots, asparagus and potatoes around the chicken. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

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.

Place the vegetables back in the oven and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes.

When the vegetables are cooked, carve the chicken and place the slices on the platter surrounded by the vegetables. Drizzle some pan juices over the chicken and vegetables.