Recipe(tried): Herb Roasted Chicken with a Mix of Roasted Baby Root Vegetables

Hi Annie:-) I have made this recipe a few times. It is one that we like very much. If you don't want to make the chicken just try roasting the vegetables. And, if you don't like turnips, eliminate them. Baby vegetables can get quite expensive so you can use regular beets and carrots. Just cut them into pieces that are all about the same size - about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. The colors of beets, carrots, and potatoes, (or just carrots and beets) together is dazzling. Roasting them, brings out the natural sugar in them. They taste amazing! I would, after the many times I have made this, recommend that you roast the vegetables at a temperature no higher than 450 degrees F, and maybe even lower the temperature to 425 degrees F so they don't get too brown, or watch them, closely, at 475 degrees F. You may not want to roast them the full 30 minutes at 475 degrees. I really like beets but not everyone in my family likes them as much as I do. I wonder how can anyone not like them. Not only are they pretty but they have such a nice natural sweetness. I guess everyone just has their favorites though.

HERB ROASTED CHICKEN WITH A
MIX OF ROASTED BABY ROOT VEGETABLES
Recipe from Emeril Lagasse
Yield: 4 servings

HERB ROASTED CHICKEN:
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) whole chicken
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves (reserve the parsley stems)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
2 bay leaves
BABY ROOT VEGETABLES:
1/4 pound baby turnips, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound baby red carrots, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound orange carrots, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound baby golden beets, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound baby beets, peeled and stem ends trimmed
1/4 pound fingerling potatoes, halved
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Wash the chicken and pat dry. Season well inside and out with the salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, thyme, sage, parsley and olive oil. Rub the olive oil and herb blend into the cavity of the chicken as well as all over the exterior. Place the parsley stems into the cavity of the chicken, and squeeze each lemon quarter into the chicken and place the rind in as well. Put the bay leaves inside the chicken and place the bird in a roasting pan or a saute pan, and put it into the oven.

Roast for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is golden brown, and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before carving.

FOR THE VEGETABLES:
Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl, and season with the salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and place in a roasting pan or on a sheet pan.

Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning once midway during cooking to ensure even browning. Serve with the herb roasted chicken.