Isn't she gorgeous?

This may have been the most pleasant meal our family has ever had. I think it started with the enjoyable trip to the grocery store with Joshua who supported my idea to attempt roasting a chicken for the first time in my life. I've never cooked with a whole chicken before. I attempted a turkey once when Jim and I were first together. It did not go well. I haven't attempted it alone since, and that was 14 years ago.

I am braver now. Rachel, Ina, my sisters, my friends, and my good friend Google have empowered me to try all sorts of new recipes over the last few years. So today I simply googled Ina Garten's recipe for roasted chicken, adapted it with what I had on hand, added potatoes, and came up with this. My entire family (not always as brave as I am at trying new recipes) went on and on about how much they loved this meal. Everyone had seconds. It was so easy. So good, and oh so pretty.

For my sake, I'm documenting what I actually did to make this.

Roasted Chicken Worth Blogging About Recipe

1 whole chicken
2 tbsp butter, melted
kosher salt
pepper
thyme (I only had dried)
fennel (dried)
1 clementine, cut in half
few squirts of lemon juice (I didn't have a fresh lemon)
1 head of garlic, cut in half
2 small onions, cut in quarters
1/2 bag of baby carrots
2 potatoes, cut in big bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the gross stuff from the inside of the chicken, then rinse her well and pat her dry. Salt and pepper the inside (I used a fair amount, around a hefty tablespoon of each). Stuff the cavity with thyme, clemetine, lemon juice and garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with butter and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with twine (I found mine in my craft supplies) and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the potatoes, onions, and carrots in a roasting pan (I only had a 9x13 baking dish). Toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and a couple tablespoons each of thyme and fennel. Spread around, then place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. (I put my veggies back in the oven to carmelize for most of this time--I covered them with foil after a few minutes). Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.