Lemon Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables

I cooked this on a cold, rainy weeknight for my book club and it turned out to be quite a hit. It's a simple recipe for roasted lemon chicken with root vegetables, but this time I cooked it on top of thick slices of country bread, which acted as a sponge for all the delicious juices. I had time to brine the chicken overnight, but it's totally optional. Brine or not, the end result will be a wonderfully browned chicken on top of the best crouton ever. Give it a try, but be forewarned: it smelled so good, a neighbor came a knockin'.

Lemon Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables

• 1 whole chicken (4-5lbs)
• 2 lemons
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
•  1 tsp dried herbs
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• country bread or any other hearty bread cut into thick 1.5" slices
  
• handful of parsnips, carrots or other root vegetable of choice, cut into uniform sized spears
  
• olive oil to drizzle

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Layer slices of bread on roasting pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
3. Soften unsalted butter (a few seconds in the microwave is sufficient) and add dried herbs.
4. Remove giblets from chicken, rinse with cold water and pat dry.
5. Cut one lemon in half and put in the bird's cavity.
6. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and place on top of bread and roasting pan.
7. Brush herb butter liberally over the chicken.
8. Thinly slice second lemon. Scatter root vegetables and lemon around the chicken.
9. Roast for 50-55 minutes, until bird is nice and browned.
10. Allow to sit outside of oven for ten minutes before carving.

And a book for dessert:

The Heat by Bill Buford
The Hunger by John DeLucie
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

- The Heat