Roast chicken — the simple Sunday meal

It may not look like anything special, but the meal was really good. The chicken was just OK. The skin was really good (I sneaked a bite), but for my purposes, I never eat the skin. If you like the skin, then, this is a good recipe. The skin was full of flavor. The meat, eh, not so much. Kind of bland. The sides were excellent. I think I ate more than my share of those carrots, and although the orzo wasn't fancy, it was very good. The lemon gave it a very clean flavor. I'm not very good at describing my food, I suppose.

Paprika Roast Chicken
1 tbsp paprika
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 boiler/fryer chicken (3.5 to 4 pounds) giblets and liver discarded, and patted dry
1 tbsp oil

Preheat oven to 475°. In a small bowl, mix paprika, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Season chicken cavity with about 1/4 paprika mixture.

Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack set in a roasting pan. Using kitchen twine, tie legs together, tuck wings under. Rub chicken with oil; sprinkle all over with remaining parika mixture.

Roast until very dark 15-20 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil; continue roasting until instant-read thermometer insterted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°, about 30 minutes. Transfer to platter, and cover loosely with foil, let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Lemony Orzo
1 lemon
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon of oil
2 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced

Using a vegetable peeler, peel half the lemon (avoiding the bitter white pith), thinly slice the peel. Squeeze 2 tbsp juice; set aside.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil, add orzo and lemon peel. Cook until orzo is al dente, according to package instructions, drain, and return to pot.

Add lemon juice, oil, and scallions. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

Roasted Carrots and Shallots
2 lbs of carrots, cut into 3-inch lengths, thick pieces halved lengthwise
12 ounces shallots (about 10) peeled and halved lengthwise.
2 tbsp olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 c. fresh parsley 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450°. On a large rimmed backing sheet, toss carrots, shallot and oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender, 30-35 minutes, tossing once half way through. Add parsley and lemon juice; toss to combine.