roasted chicken smells like home

There's something about roasted chicken that makes your house smell homey. :)

Last night I made a small roasted chicken and vegetables. It's not that hard to make, and delicious!

First of course you have to clean your little bird. Ours was a little over 4 pounds, so it was pretty tiny. Don't forget to remove the little presents inside the cavity. The key to a crispy outside to your chicken is to dry it after you wash it.

Take 4-6 garlic cloves (depending on size and how much you like garlic) and smash them with either a meat tenderizer or the side of a large knife. Put them in the center of your roasting pan. Put the chicken on top of the garlic.

Stuff the cavity with fresh herbs. This makes the meat soooo tasty! I used sage, thyme, and a lemon half. It's really about what you like, or what you have on hand... and don't be shy about the herbs or you won't notice them. I used a handful of each. (Some markets will sell you "poultry bouquets" of fresh herbs, usually featuring sage, rosemary and thyme.)

For veggies I peeled two carrots and cut them into 1 inch pieces, two red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces, and pearl onions. You could use a whole onion if you want - just cut it up into pieces - but I saw these and decided to try it. The idea of peeling all those mini onions making you want to cry? Don't be sad! Get a small saucepan and fill it with hot water, then set it to boil. It should heat up while you're cutting the carrots and potatoes. Toss the onions in the boiling water and leave them there for about a minute. Dump them into cold water. Snip the end off, and the squeeze the onion out of the skin. It pops right out.

Melt some butter and brush the bird all over. Use the rest of the butter to toss with the veggies. Spread the veggies around the bird. I sprinkled the bird and veggies with some herbs de provence (thanks, Mom!) , salt and pepper.

The whole thing goes in the oven for 45 minutes. After that, take it out of the oven and tip the bird on the side to pour out any juices from inside the cavity. Move your veggies around - don't worry if a few are stuck, we'll deal with that later - and baste the bird.

Back in the oven for 15 minutes at a time. Baste in between and check the temp. of the thigh. When you've reached 170-175 degrees you're done. Side note, when checking the temp. of a chicken or turkey make sure you're checking in the dark meat - thigh - because it cooks slower than white meat. When you tip your chicken over, the juices should run clear. For my little bird, I only needed 30 more minutes.

Take the bird out of the pan and put it on a plate to rest. Scoop the veggies into a bowl. I used a little white wine to deglaze the roasting pan. I like to carve the chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces. I add the chicken to the bowl of veggies, the veggies you were able to scrape off the bottom (they look burnt, but they are not - they are tasty), and some of the wine/juice.