Give thanks for potatoes

Thanksgiving is always an exciting time for a traveling pig. There's traveling and there's food. What's not to like?

Anyway, Thanksgiving at the Pig's parents' involve three main staples: potatoes, chicken and more potatoes. That's right, screw the big tasteless turkey and get down to fowl basics. Here's how the Pig's dad prepares it:

Veggie Prep
Cube potatoes, carrots, more potatoes into 1/2"-1" pieces
Place cubed veggies in the bottom of one midsize roasting pan, making a bed for the chicken, and season liberally with salt and pepper

Chicken Prep
Wash chicken, making sure to pull out that bag of liver, heart, gizzard from the cavity
Stuff chicken with shitake mushrooms, entrails that came with the chicken and whole scallions
Close cavity with toothpick and truss up chicken legs
Rub entire chicken with olive oil
Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper

Combine
Chop 1 head of garlic (not too fine, otherwise will burn). Set aside.
Place chicken, breast side up, onto bed of potatoes and carrots (no rack needed - don't worry, skin will still get crispy)
Sprinkle 1 third of chopped garlic on top of chicken

Cook
Place roasting pan in preheated oven at 400 degrees
About 45 minutes in, turn chicken so that the backside is up
Add some more olive oil on top
Sprinkle another 1/3 of the garlic onto the chicken
Bake for 45 more minutes, turn chicken again to breast side up
Add more olive oil
Sprinkle on remaining 1/3 of chopped garlic
Bake until done (depends on chicken, oven, whatever) - another 15 minutes in our oven

Serve
Dig out the roasted, garlicky potatoes from the bottom of the roast pan. These potatoes should be sitting in a pool of chicken drippings (mmm...drippings). Get those first because they'll be all gone once you go back for seconds. And oh, the chicken's not bad either.