I knew I couldn’t stay away too long. As soon as I told you all I’d be taking a little blog-vacation, my computer started to seduce me. Every time I passed by, on my way to dilly-dally about nothing (that’s what vacations are supposed to be like, right?), my computer would reach out with it’s cute little mouse begging to be fondled. Click me, it whispered demurely.

You all didn’t help. Everytime I caved and skulked over to check out the internets, you all were posting new, delicious, inspiring dishes. The nerve! I yelled, Don’t they realize I’m trying to RELAX!?! How does one sit around, lolly-gagging, while everyone is being so productive?

Well, I couldn’t take it anymore. I cajoled my little laptop into taking me back, promising never to ignore her again. Then I got into the kitchen.

Ann (who’s just about my favorite blogger out there) from A Chicken in Every Granny Cart, posted about this pot-roasted chicken last week. It hit me as the perfect way to bust my blues; a whole chicken is one of the most satisfying foods for me to cook. And you can really get rid of all your pent-up aggression while you rip the thing apart—I’m not very good at carving the chicken, ripping instead and therefore not taking pictures of it afterwards! What’s more, a pot-roasted chicken, cooked with vegetables that you can serve as a side dish, is that kind of I-need-easy-right-now-because-I’m-afraid-my-life-is-falling-apart meal that sounds oh, so right.

To be honest, though, this isn’t my favorite method of roasting chicken. Don’t get me wrong, the chicken is fabulous—succulent, crisp-skinned, well-flavored. It’s the vegetables that aren’t my favorite. They’re lovely, but I usually prefer browned veggies with my roast chicken. That or mashed potatoes. Made with a lot of butter. Damn you, diet!

I’m posting Ann’s recipe below with the few adaptations that I made—I used green peas instead of beans because that’s what I had on hand. Ann’s recipe is adapted from Izzy’s Mama. Go check out both their sites if you know what’s good for that tummy of yours!

Pot-Roasted Chicken

adapted from Ann’s Pot-Roasted Chicken

• 1 medium Chicken, rinsed
• 1 onion, sliced
• a dozen cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 Cauliflower, cut into florettes
• fresh Sage, Rosemary and Tarragon, washed
• 1 large lemon, quartered
• Dry Vermouth
• Sherry Vinegar
• about 1 tbsp room temperature Butter with a clove or two of pressed Garlic worked into it
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive Oil
• 1 bag frozen petite pea & pearl onion mix (or a bag of anything that you’d like to go with your chicken.)
• 1 bag frozen corn

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Toss the onions, garlic, 1 lemon quarter and all the cauliflower into your largest oven-proof dutch oven. Add a few chopped sage leaves and the leaves off of a few sprigs of rosemary. Pour over a very large glug of dry vermouth and a wee dash of sherry vinegar.

Add rest of the lemon and a handful each of the tarragon, sage, rosemary and one of the lemon halves to the chicken’s cavity. Rub the garlic butter all over the chicken and under the skin if you can. Season very liberally with salt and pepper. Place the chicken into the dutch oven on top of the vegetables. Pour over a glug of olive oil. Put the lid on the dutch oven and transfer to the oven.

Roast, covered for 1 hour.

After an hour, carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven, and then carefully remove the lid from the dutch oven. Add peas and corn and stir around as much as you can. Place the dutch oven back into the oven and allow to roast uncovered for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the deepest part of the chicken (near the thigh) send only clear juices to the surface (if your chicken is exceptionally large, it may need a few minutes longer). Remove chicken and carve (or rip!) Transfer the veggies to a bowl (transferring with or without the liquid) and serve with rice or polenta.