This mustard sauce could also be used as a coating for pork or beef roasts as well. The vegetables are good by themselves, too. Just make a 1/2 batch of the mustard/olive oil sauce. Total prep time is about 15 minutes before roasting and 15 minutes after. Roasting takes less than 2 hours.

1/3 cup dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 4-6 pound roasting chicken, giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry
2 onions (any kind), sliced thickly (about 1/2" slices)
salt & pepper

4-5 cups root vegetables, your choice (carrots, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onions, etc.), cut up into 1 - 2 inch cubes

8 oz. sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 cup chicken broth or wine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk mustard, oil, and rosemary together in a large bowl.

Line the bottom of a roasting pan with sliced onions. Place the chicken on top of the onions. Brush the chicken with about 1/2 of the mustard mixture, then salt & pepper the chicken. Roast until thermometer registers 170 degrees (about 1 hr. 45 minutes).

Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the mustard mixture in a small bowl. Dump the root vegetables into the large bowl with the remaining mustard sauce. Mix until the vegetables are coated, then spread them out on a greased baking pan and season with salt & pepper. Put the vegetables in the oven about 1 hour into the cooking time for the chicken, and roast for 45 min - 1 hr, stirring twice.

Transfer chicken to a platter. Place the pan atop two burners. Scrape up the onions - they will be pretty well done. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook through. Whisk in the chicken broth or wine and the reserved 2 T of the mustard sauce. Boil until reduced to 1 1/4 cups or so, about 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

Place the vegetables on the platter with the chicken. Serve with sauce.

Adapted from an October 2001 Bon Appetit recipe