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With cooler weather on the horizon, all I can think about is comfort food. This dish, made with A Bite of Good Ras el Hanout Spice Blend, is definitely one of the first on my Autumn cooking agenda every year. Simple yet elegant, it's a perfect meal, whether you'll be eating it on a Tuesday, alone on the couch with your latest Netflix obsession streaming on the tube, or on a Sunday, together with friends and family with a glass of wine in hand.
Ras el Hanout Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
One 3.5- to 4-lb whole chicken, giblets removed
Extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons Ras el Hanout Spice Blend (get yours here), divided
1-lb bag baby fingerling potatoes (or other small potato), cut into 2-inch cubes
2-lb bag rainbow carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 large shallots or 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 head garlic, peeled
Kosher salt
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Using kitchen shears, cut along each side of the chicken backbone to remove it. Turn the chicken over and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten it. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil and 2 tablespoons Ras el Hanout.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, carrots, shallots/onion, and garlic with olive oil, the remaining Ras el Hanout, and a generous pinch of salt.
Arrange the vegetables in the bottom of a roasting pan (this is my workhorse roasting pan), and place the chicken, breast side up, on the roasting rack nestled on top of the vegetables. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 45-50 minutes, turning halfway through, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer (I love this one) inserted into an inner thigh reads 160 F. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cover with foil. Stir the vegetables and roast an additional 10 minutes while the chicken rests.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a serving platter. Carefully carve the chicken into eight pieces (2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings, 2 breasts) and then slice the breasts into smaller pieces for serving. Arrange the chicken on top of the roasted vegetables and garnish with parsley.
Serve with some Toum (Lebanese garlic sauce) and some warm flatbread for a blow-your-mind meal.