Chicken and medium Roasted Vegetables

Chicken and medium Roasted Vegetables

Much of the pleasure of eating this  comes from the textures of the lettuce and the shredded vegetables. If you poach and shred a couple of chicken breasts at the beginning of the week, then these are quickly thrown together.

INGREDIENTS 

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or softened butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano or sage leaves, or a combination

 Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat

1 ½ to 2 pounds small waxy red or white potatoes, peeled, or larger potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks, or other vegetables

 Chopped parsley leaves for garnish

PREPARATION 

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, mix olive oil or butter, herbs, salt and pepper. Put chicken breast side up in a roasting pan. Toss half the herb-oil mixture with potatoes, scatter them in pan around chicken and put pan in oven. Roast about 20 minutes, and spoon some more herb-oil mixture over chicken and potatoes. Shake pan so potatoes turn and cook evenly.

STEP 2

After 10 minutes shake pan, and baste again; breast should be starting to brown. Reduce heat to 325, baste again and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh reads 155 degrees or more. Total roasting time will be 50 to 70 minutes.

STEP 3

Remove chicken from pan, and taste a potato; if not quite done, raise heat to 425 degrees, and roast (or broil) while letting chicken rest and carving it. Serve, garnished with parsley, with potatoes scattered around it.