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Recipe adapted from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home
- One 4 – 4.5 lb chicken
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 2 leeks, dark green leaves cut off the tops, root ends trimmed, and rinsed to remove dirt
- 1 small onion, roots and outer layers removed and cut into quarters
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 8 – 12 potatoes (or a combination of potatoes and other root vegetables) cut into halves or quarters
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 Tb unsalted butter
3:30 before you want to eat – Remove chicken from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature. Using a paring knife, cut the wishbone out of the chicken and discard. Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add three of the garlic cloves and 5 of the thyme sprigs to the cavity, then truss the chicken.
1:45 before you want to eat – Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine all of the vegetables, the remaining garlic, and the leaves from the remaining thyme sprig in a large bowl. Toss with ¼ cup of the oil, salt and pepper. Spread all of the vegetables in a large cast-iron skillet. Rub the chicken with the remaining oil. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and nestle the chicken in the vegetables. Rub the butter over the breast of the chicken.
90 minutes before you want to eat – place the skillet in the oven. Roast for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 and continue roasting for another 45 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160.
25 minutes before you want to eat – remove the chicken and vegetables from the oven. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes.
5 minutes before you want to eat – place the skillet with the vegetables over medium heat to reheat. Turn the vegetables with a spatula or spoon to glaze with the pan juices. Carve the chicken, arrange over the vegetables, and serve.
Julio's Delicatessen 