Tonight's Dinner - Local Iacono Chicken Roasted on a Bed of Root Vegetables Thomas Keller Style

Thomas Keller, I know what you are thinking, "I don't have 6 hours to make dinner tonight." Well, neither do I. And you won't need more than 20 minutes to prep out this fabulous 1 pot meal from Keller's newish book Ad Hoc at Home a collection of accessible and fast recipes of meals he likes to make at home.

This recipe is by far the best recipe from the book that I have tried so far!

I didn't have the time to do a whole chicken tonight, so I used a bird cut into 8 pieces. In the future I will probably make it this way as well. Also, I didn't have any rutabagas so I used sweet potatoes. But honestly whatever root vegetables you have will work well in this dish. Also, I didn't have leeks so I used red onions. I also squeezed a lemon over the top before roasting.

We enjoyed this meal alongside slow roasted roma tomatoes.

Enjoy!

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Oh and this was a huge hit with the kids below is a picture of Chloe's plate.

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Here is the recipe.

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

Ingredients

One 4 to 4 1/2 lb chicken (whole or cut into 8 pieces)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

6 thyme sprigs
2 large leeks
3 tennis-ball-sized rutabagas
2 tennis-ball-sized turnips
4 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut in half
1 small yellow onion, trimmed, leaving root end intact, and cut into quarters
8 small (golf-ball-sized) red-skinned potatoes
1/3 cup canola oil
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Instructions
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it comes to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 475 F.

Remove the neck and innards if they are still in the cavity of the chicken. Using a paring knife, cut out the wishbone from the chicken. (This will make it easier to carve the chicken.) Generously season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper, add 3 of the garlic cloves and 5 sprigs of thyme, and massage the inside of the bird to infuse it with the flavors. Truss the chicken. OR use 8 cut pieces.

Cut off the dark green leaves from the top of the leeks. Trim off and discard the darkened outer layers. Trim the root ends and thinly slice leeks.

Peel and chop your root vegetables into 1 inch cubes.

Combine all the vegetables and 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 a roasting pan.

Rub the remaining oil over the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Make a nest in the center of the vegetables and nestle the chicken in it.

Cut the butter into 4 or 5 pieces and place over the chicken breast.

Put the chicken in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400 F and roast for an additional 45 (20 if you have 8 cut pieces) 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.

Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 20 minutes (5 minutes if you are using cut pieces).

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