my first chicken

Last night I made my first whole roasted chicken! (The above picture is NOT my result - just a picture I got online. Mine was a little darker on top, but very similar idea with the rosemary and potatoes.) It was mostly a success ... minus the fact that we ate dinner at 8:15. Next time, I will know to take the temperature from multiple places rather than just one. Especially since I don't really know where to take it. I thought I was taking it in the right spot according to the recipe, but the juices were still pretty pink when I set it on the cutting board. So ... I had to turn the oven back on, put it back in the pan and cook it some more. Had I not turned the oven off, it probably wouldn't have taken that much longer. As it was, it took about another 30-40 minutes. With carving and setting the table, we ended up eating pretty late. Normal dinner time is 6:30-7. I was hoping to eat at 7 ... oh well. At least it wasn't dry and tasted pretty good. The thing I love most about this recipe is that it cooks the vegetables at the same time, so it's basically a 1-"pot" meal. Once you put it in the oven, you're done for a while! Which is very nice for a mom of 3. I did add carrots to the potatoes and next time I think I'll also add onion. I didn't have any white win, so I just used mirin (cooking sake) and it turned out fine. I was worried it would have a slightly funky taste, but I couldn't tell at all.

One thing I will say ... I've never truly been grossed out by cooking meat til I had to rub down the whole chicken with herb butter and put it in the pan. Handling that chicken was the closest I've felt to feeling like I was cooking an animal and I can't say that I enjoyed it in the least. The thought of it still gives me chills and I seriously considered becoming a vegetarian as I was experiencing it. In spite of this, it still tasted just as good. ;)