Winter Dinner for 2 or 4

I love a meal that requires about 20 minutes of prep and one to two hours of baking. I can spend some time getting the meal ready, but then I can sit back and relax while the oven does the work. As much as I enjoy making multi-ingredient, labor-intensive meals, the precious time I savor doing something besides sweating over the stove is something no fancy meal can replace. One of my favorite prep-and-bake meals is my famous Roast Chicken and Veggies.

Okay it isn't famous. It isn't even remotely well-known. In fact, I think I've only ever made it for Forrest. But it is a star in my recipe book. I turn to this meal frequently in the winter to get a healthy well-rounded plate using fresh ingredients--and as it fills the house with the delicious aroma of fall veggies, lemon and rosemary, I can sit back and focus on a new favorite past-time, crafting.

There are a few other things that make this meal really amazing.
1) It is really easy.
2) It is really cheap.
3) It is really delicious.

Ingredients

1 whole-roaster chicken

4 red potatoes

3 small sweet potatoes

3 medium carrots

1 large onion

1 lemon

2 sprigs rosemary

2 cloves garlic (not pictured) 

Cut up the the veggie into large chunks

Drizzle some olive oil over them and toss them with salt and pepper. In a deep 9 x 13 pan, drizzle a little bit of olive oil and place the two 2 cloves of garlic in the center (I used the side of my knife to crush it just a bit). Strategically place the veggies so that they make a little nest to put the chicken in. 

You will need to remove the gizzard and rinse the chicken and the cavity. Pat it dry with a paper towel. 

Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, and shake on some salt and pepper. Rub the olive oil and S&P over the skin and cavity of the chicken. Stuff the lemon and rosemary inside the cavity. Tie up the legs and place it over the veggies in the pan. Tuck the wings back. You have to kind of bend them back behind and hook them so they don't move.

 Bake at 425 for about 1.5 to 2 hrs. You should be able to stick your knife into the thigh and the juices should run clear. I didn't get a picture of the final roast because I always cut deeper into the thigh to make sure no blood runs. The first time I did this recipe there was just a little bit of blood in the thigh and it made me nervous.

Then, remove the chicken from the pan, cut the twine and remove the lemon and rosemary. Save one half of the lemon. Scoop out the veggies and leave the juices in the pan. Squeeze the lemon into the juices in the pan and stir them up. Strain the juices and set aside. 

Slice the breast and place slices on a plate next to the veggies. Stir up the juices and pour some over the sliced chicken. Serve with a green veggie like green beans. 

The chicken is super juicy and basically melts in your mouth. The veggies have a great flavor from cooking in the pan with the chicken and lemon juices. You will want to make this over and over again!

What are some of your favorite roast recipes?