Recipe of the Day

Roast Chicken With Root Vegetables

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Dissolve salt and sugar in 2 quarts cold water in large container; stir in garlic and bay leaves. Submerge chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Set V-rack in roasting pan and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Tuck chicken wings behind back and season chicken with pepper. Place chicken wing side up on prepared V-rack and roast for 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and, using 2 large wads of paper towels, rotate chicken so that other wing side faces up; continue to roast for 30 minutes.
3. Remove pan from oven and, using 2 large wads of paper towels, turn chicken breast side up. Add broth to pan and continue to roast until chicken is golden brown, breast registers 160 degrees, and thighs register 175 degrees, about 40 minutes. (If pan begins to smoke and sizzle, add additional 1⁄2 cup broth to pan.) Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest while roasting vegetables. Remove V-rack from pan.
4. FOR THE VEGETABLES: While chicken is resting, adjust oven rack to middle position and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Using wooden spoon, scrape browned bits in pan and pour drippings into fat separator. Return now-empty pan to oven and heat until oven reaches 500 degrees, about 5 minutes.
5. Toss potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and onions with oil, salt, and pepper and scatter in single layer in pan, arranging potatoes and onions cut side down. Roast, without stirring, for 25 minutes.
6. While vegetables are roasting, measure out and reserve 1⁄2 cup liquid from fat separator; discard remaining liquid and fat (if necessary, add additional broth to make 1⁄2 cup). Remove pan from oven and heat broiler. Drizzle liquid over vegetables and broil, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Stir vegetables, coating well with juices, and continue to broil until tender and deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to serving platter. While vegetables are broiling, carve chicken. Transfer to platter with vegetables and serve.

TWO ROAST CHICKENS WITH ROOT VEGETABLES
Substitute two 3- to 4-pound chickens for one 6- to 7-pound chicken. Reduce wing-side-up roasting time to 20 minutes per side in step 2. Continue to roast chicken as directed, reducing breast-side-up roasting time to 30 to 40 minutes.