Roast Chicken Dinner with Carrots and Potatoes

Ingredients

For the chicken:
• 1 chicken (6-8 lbs)
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 Tbsp butter (melted)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the vegetables:
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 lbs white or red potatoes (fingerlings work great if available)
• 6 large carrots (always use more than you think, they shrink a lot)
For the gravy
• Giblets from chicken
• 1/2 chicken bouillon cube
• Water
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Prepare the chicken:
2. Remove bag of giblets from cavity and set aside.
3. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry. If there's time, let the chicken stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, or until it reaches room temperature.
4. Generously season the cavity with salt and pepper.
5. Rub the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
6. Put 1/2 of the quartered onion and the smashed garlic clove in the cavity of the chicken.
7. Place chicken in roasting pan (on a roasting rack if you have one).
8. Truss the chicken (tuck wings under and tie legs together).
9. Brush the chicken with melted butter and sprinkle with more pepper and salt to taste.
Prepare the vegetables:
10. Wash the potatoes and pat dry.
11. Cut the potatoes into approximately 1-2 inch chunks.
12. Peel the carrots and cut into 2 inch chunks.
13. Place the other 1/2 of the quartered onion, the potatoes and the carrots in the roasting pan around the chicken.
14. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables.
Roasting:
15. Put the chicken in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
16. Reduce the heat to 350 F and roast for 20 minutes per pound (or until the temperature registers 160 F in the thigh and under the breast).
While the chicken is roasting:
17. Heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan.
18. Add the giblets and cook until lightly browned.
19. Add water to cover giblets.
20. Bring to a boil and simmer covered over low heat while the chicken roasts.
21. Strain giblet stock, return to saucepan, and add the chicken bouillon.
22. Remove the meat from the chicken neck and chop the liver.
23. Return the neck meat and liver to the saucepan.
24. Blend with a stick blender or in a regular blender.
25. Remove half a cup of stock to a small bowl and mix with a tablespoon of corn starch.
26. Return corn starch and stock mixture to saucepan and whisk until thickened over medium heat.
When chicken is done:
27. Take roasting pan out of the oven and remove the chicken to a platter to rest, covered in foil for 20 minutes.
28. Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat and finish browning vegetables (remove excess fat from pan, if necessary).
To serve:
29. Carve the chicken into serving pieces, arrange over the vegetables and enjoy!

Notes