Until next time.

Sometimes I try too hard.

I was going to write a big post today about Kierkegarrd, the uncertainty principle, ethics, and the soul crushing nature of office work. Lucky for you I struggled with it for about three hours then gave up because I was hungry. So instead you get my dinner. While I was wrestling with the big questions I was also roasting chicken. It may not be my death row meal, but it is easily one of the most soul satisfying meals you can eat. Sorry about the Kierkegarrd. I know you are disappointed, but my brain just isn't up to it today.

The beauty of roasting chickens is amounts are only limited to the size of your oven and the size of your pans. Now I like to get a couple of Belle and Evens organic chickens from the Butcher Boy because while I haven't given up meat those factory farms do push my ethical boundaries... must... not... discuss... Kierkegarrd... and  I think the organic chickens taste better.

You will need a chicken, 3 or 4 good sized potatoes, a bag of those baby carrots (saves knife work, but by all means get regular carrots if you can't afford the extra buck) a lemon, an onion, sprigs of thyme if you have fresh ( a window box will save you enough money to buy the baby carrots) and melted butter. Mmmm butter!

1. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the bird.
2. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze the juice into the cavity, then stuff the lemons in after.
3. Peel the onion. Cut it into quarters. Stuff it in the bird.
4. Stuff the thyme in there too.
5. Truss the drumsticks together with kitchen twine.
6. Smear the bird with the melted butter. Mmm butter!
7. Liberally salt and pepper the outside of the bird.
8. Grease a roasting pan with melted butter. Mmm butter!
9. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
10. Cut the potatoes into chunks roughly the same size as the baby carrots.
11. Spread them in the roasting pan. Spread more sprigs of thyme over the vegetables. 
12. Place a cooling rack over the roasting pan.
13. Place the chicken on the rack. Fold the wings under the body so they don't burn.
14. Roast for an hour and a half until the juices run clear.
15. Place the chicken under some foil.
16. Give the vegetables a stir. Cover them with that lemony greasy goodness. Then give them another 20 minutes in the oven.

The amounts can be doubled until the pan or the oven gets too small. Figure 3 people per chicken, or a whole chicken if you are a tubbo like me. If you have a big enough roasting pan you could get 3 going at once. You can also skip the cooling rack, but if you do you will have to move the chickens around of the middle one will stew. Check that, use the cooling rack.