I have taken some teasing from friends and family for my anxiety around cooking a chicken or a turkey. I decided to face my fear, and bought a chicken. Then I spent far too much time agonizing over it, flipping through cookbooks, and googling recipes, until I settled on this one. Jamie Oliver, I love you.

1 chicken
2 onions
2 carrots

2 ribs of celery
1 bulb of garlic
olive oil 

salt and pepper
1 lemon
a small bunch of fresh rosemary

Before you begin, take your chicken out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 475'.

Chop the vegetables (washed, but unpeeled) . Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled. Pile all the vegetabled & garlic into the middle of a large roaster and drizzle with olive oil. 

Prick the lemon all over with a knife, and put it inside the cavity along with the rosemary. Drizzle olive oil on the chicken, and rub with salt and pepper. Place chicken on top of mound of vegetables. Place in the oven (preheated to 475'), and immediately lower the temperature to 400'. Cook for about an hour & 20 minutes, depending on the size of the bird (use a meat thermometer). Allow to rest 15 minutes before carving.

Not a great photo, but I have pride for it like a face only a mother could love. :)