Classic French Roast Chicken

Last June, I lived and worked at a bed and breakfast in southern France, where I learned many things from my dear friends, the owners, William and Rosalie Haas of the Domaine du Haut Baran. I learned about the history of the Lot valley region, how to properly set a table, a little bit of gardening, and many French recipes. Included was this delicious and very easy roast chicken.

This meal will always remind me of my wonderful stay with William and Rosalie, and all the great memories I have of my trip. It's very simple to prepare, it just takes some time in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, washed and ready to cook (6-8 pounds)

7-9 carrots

2 dozen fingerling potatoes

3 large onions

1 head garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup herbes de Provence

1 cup dry white wine

1 lemon, cut into quarters

Salt and pepper

6-7 Roma or Campari tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

1. Roughly chop the carrots, potatoes and onions so they are all around the same size. If using tomatoes (they really give a whole different character to the dish), slice them in half lengthwise and set aside in a different bowl.

2. Using a sharp knife, (carefully) peel the garlic cloves, leaving them whole. This is easily the most time-consuming part, but the whole garlic cloves are the best part of the dish in my opinion! Reserve 4-5 cloves with their peels still on for later use.

3. Add the carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic cloves to a large roasting pan and coat them generously with olive oil (about 1/4 cup), herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Oil up and season the tomatoes as well, but do not add them to the party yet.

4. Wash and use paper towels to pat dry the chicken, then add it to the pan--scoot the veggies around to make room for him.

5. Stuff the remaining garlic cloves (we left the peels on so you know not to eat those) and the lemon quarters into the chicken cavity.

6. Rub the chicken down with the remaining olive oil, herbes de Provence, and some salt and pepper.

7. Pour the white wine over the vegetables.

8. Cover the pan with foil and roast in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour to 90 minutes, depending on the size of your bird.

9. Uncover and roast for another 30 minutes, or until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy. Arrange the tomatoes around the pan at this time--if we had put them in earlier, they would have disintegrated by now!

10. Make sure your final internal temperature is at least 165 degrees for food safety.

Remove from the oven and serve with white wine, a simple salad and some crusty French bread.

This is a great dish for a party, since you can prep it in the afternoon and stick it in the oven, forget about it, and out comes this delicious meal! This one will definitely feed a crowd. It will also make the whole house smell amazing.

As we say in France, bon appetit!