Perfect Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
• 3 ribs celery, peeled and cut into thirds
• 3 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cracked white pepper
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped, plus 1 tablespoon for gravy
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
• 1 cup dry white wine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

In a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan, add the carrots, celery and onions. Season the chicken both inside and out with the kosher salt and white pepper. Squeeze the lemon halves over the chicken and place the rinds inside the cavity. Place the bay leaves inside the cavity. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and butter. Rub the chicken both inside and out with the garlic rosemary blend and place in the roasting pan.

Place the pan in the oven and roast the chicken for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the juices run clear. To test this, insert a thermometer in the thickest part of a leg. It should register at 160 degrees internal temperature. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Pour off excess fat from pan and return to heat. Whisk in chicken stock, roasted garlic, white wine and chopped rosemary, scraping up the bits on the bottom of pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce gravy by half, until thickened.

Serve chicken with gravy on the side.