My Roast Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

This has got to be my all time favorite comfort food. Roast Chicken with roasted potatoes and vegetables. This meal says love me, love my friends, love my family... well heck, love everybody! You cook the chicken in a very hot oven on a raft of vegetables and potatoes, flecked with dried thyme and lots of salt and pepper and voila -- you have a feast of simple comfort and joy It is nutritious and downright excellent. Everyone needs a roast chicken like this in their repertoire.
Hope you like it!

Ingredients

1 Yam cut into chunks
12 small Yukon Gold potatoes or new potatoes, cut in half
2 carrots, left whole or cut into thirds

1 3 1/2 lb. Whole Organic Chicken
1 Tbs. Olive oil
1 Tbs. dried thyme leaves
2 tsp. fleur de sel or Kosher salt
1 tsp. finely ground black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In an ovenproof dish place all of the vegetables.
Then rub the chicken with the olive oil and season all over with the salt, pepper and dried thyme. Place on top of the vegetables and place in the hot oven.
Roast for 45-55 minutes. Take it out of the oven.
Carefully turn over the chicken and gently move around the vegetables.
Place the chicken and vegetables back into the oven and roast for another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. This will make the skin nice and crispy all over.
When the chicken is crispy and cooked through, take out of the oven and place the chicken on an attractive serving platter with the vegetables.

Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Recipe, photos and drawing by Karen Pickus
Recipe, photos and drawing courtesy Karen Pickus 2010