Whole Roasted Chicken on a Bed of Root Vegetables

Finally got enough nerve to try roasting a chicken....and it worked! It was by far one of the best tasting things I've ever made. We more-or-less followed Thomas Keller's approach in Ad Hoc at Home for his "Whole Roasted Chicken on a Bed of Root Vegetables" and added a side of pan-roasted brussels sprouts with bacon.

Once trussed, the chicken cavity is seasoned with fresh shallots (Keller uses garlic - I didn't have any on-hand), kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and thyme. (This was my first time trussing a chicken. Pretty easy once you figure it out, but that took a few minutes. I am sure I won't remember how to do it next time...) The outside is then seasoned with oil, salt, and pepper and then dotted with unsalted butter. The vegetables (we used carrots, potatoes from my grandparents' garden, leeks, and onion), similarly, are seasoned with oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. You then simply layer the bottom of a roasting pan with the vegetables and sit the chicken on top. Roast on 475 degrees for 25 minutes and then 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until the chicken reached 160 degrees.

The thyme is the real magic ingredient here. Combined with the butter, chicken fat, and vegetables, it makes for an awesome flavor.