1 six pound whole roasting chicken
1 tart apple sliced 1/8″ thin
1 pear sliced 1/8″ thin
2 large carrots chopped into 1/2″ bits
3 medium potatoes chopped into cubes
1 medium onion (red or yellow works)
1 head of garlic peeled
5 large white mushrooms washed and quartered or three handfuls of small button mushrooms
1 lemon
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
Paprika, Salt & Pepper
1/2 stick of butter
Preheat the oven to 450f
In a large bowl toss the carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, and mushrooms in 3 tbsp. of olive oil. Place the vegetables in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan. Cut a single slice into the lemon and put the rosemary and thyme inside the lemon. Place the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken, loosen the skin and put a pat of butter on each side and then place the chicken on top of the vegetables. Place the apple and pear slices around the chicken covering the vegetables. Dust the whole roast with salt, pepper and paprika. Place the chicken in the oven and reduce the temperature to 400f and roast the chicken until a thermometer reads 165f at the thigh (approximately 1.5 hours).