{image via Thomas Keller}

So I’ve been using my new cookbook (see more on that)…and last night I made the roast chicken from Ad Hoc at Home

It was so good in fact, that when I mentioned it on Facebook, I had several people ask me to share the recipe. So that’s what I’m doing – with some of my notes. This would be great for a date night or a dinner party. It’s simple, really easy to do, and really good. Just read the recipe ahead to know your timing, and then it comes together in a snap. Really. And I’d never had (gasp) turnips or rutabagas ever before! I now LOVE them. I think I’ll roast some with Red Chili Garlic Sauce sometime soon. As with all recipes, the better the ingredients, the better it turns out.

Let me know if you try it – I’d love to hear what you thought. And thank you, Amateur Gourmet, for inspiring me to make it. See his much more eloquent review here.

Thomas Keller’s Roast Chicken -”Whole Roasted Chicken on a Bed of Root Vegetables”

Serves 4

• One 4-4.5 lb. chicken (I defrosted one from my freezer I got on sale a few weeks back)
  
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed & peeled
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 2 large leeks
• 3 tennis-ball-sized rutabagas
• 2 tennis-ball-sized turnips
• 4 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, & cut in half
• 1 small yellow onion, trimmed, leaving root end in half, cut into quarters
• 8 small (golf-ball-sized) red-skinned potatoes
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 4 Tablespoons (2 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temp.

Use a roasting pan or big cast-iron skillet (I got a new roasting pan for Christmas that I had to test out). Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours, or until it comes to room temp. (He also mentions leaving it uncovered in the fridge for a day or two uncovered which helps dry the skin and helps it to crisp – I did that only overnight, so I’ll take his word on it, but it was fabulously crispy.)

Preheat oven to 475 F.

Remove neck and innards if they are still in the cavity of the chicken. Using a pairing knife, cut out the wishbone from the chicken (I had a challenge doing this, to say the least) – this will make it easier to carve the chicken (which I had my husband do anyway). Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt & pepper, add 3 of the garlic cloves, 5 sprigs of thyme & massage the inside of the bird to infuse the chicken.

Cut off the dark leaves from the top of the leeks. Trim off and discard any darkened outer layers. Trim the root ends, cutting around them on a 45-degree angle. Slit the leeks lengthwise almost in half, starting 1/2 inch above the root ends. Rinse the leeks well under warm water (I let them soak a bit to get all the dirt out).

Cut off both ends of rutabagas. Stand the rutabagas on end and cut away the skin, working from top to bottom and removing any tough outer layers. Cut into 3/4-inch wedges. Repeat with the turnips, cutting the wedges to match the size of the rutabagas.

Combine all the vegetables and the remaining garlic cloves and thyme sprig in a large bowl. Toss with 1/4 cup of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables in a large cast-iron skillet or roasting pan.

Rub the remaining oil all over the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper. (I kept a bowl with the salt and pepper next to me to keep my salmonella hands from getting all over everything else in the kitchen.)

Make a next in the center of the vegetables and nestle the chicken in it. Cut the butter in 4 or 5 pieces and place over the chicken breast.

Put the chicken in the over and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 F and roast for an additional 45 minutes, or until the temperature registers 160 F in the meatiest portions of the bird – the thighs, and under the breast where the thigh meets the breast – and the juices run clear. If necessary, return the bird to the oven for more roasting; check it every 5 minutes. (I had to put it back in a few times.)

Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 20 minutes. (Don’t skip this step! This was the juiciest roast chicken I’ve ever made – I’ve never let one rest this long.)

Just before serving, set the pan of vegetables over medium heat and reheat the vegetables, turning them and glazing them with the pan juices.

Cut the chicken into serving pieces, arrange over the vegetables, and serve.

(And when you put the leftovers away, if there are any, make sure you pour the leftover juices from the pan over them. Mmmmm.)

Now, who’s gonna set the table? ;-)