Bundt Pan Chicken with Green Beans and Lemon Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Springtime food in my mind should includes lots of tender green vegetables, fresh herbs, and lemon. This meal incorporates exactly those things. Bundt pan chicken with green beans and lemon rosemary mashed potatoes would make a wonderful start to your easter dinner menu! I came across this idea not out of creativity, but out of desperation. I don't own a roasting pan, and I don't like spending lots of money on kitchen items that I know will only be used for one thing. So, I researched some roasting pan - free ways to roast a whole chicken. I decided on the bundt pan method. You can throw whatever goodies you like in the bottom of the bundt pan, just be warned that whatever goodies you choose will be slow roasted in chicken fat (it tastes way better than it sounds, promise). I chose mushrooms this time around, but roasting the potatoes this way is also divine.

Since the oven was already going to be on, I decided to roast the veggies instead of steaming them. Pictured here are the veggies and the lemon/rosemary items for the potatoes.

While we waited for the chicken to roast... Hors d'oeuvres at the living room bar. A little vino, anyone?

Finished veggies.

Finished potatoes

And finally, finished chicken! Roasting it on the bundt pan ensures that the bird stays nice and moist throughout cooking.

 A completed plate. Now where are the cadburry eggs?

Bundt Pan Chicken Recipe

- 1 whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry

- 2 tbsp butter, softened

- Salt and pepper

- 1 tsp dried rosemary

- 1 tsp dried sage

- 1 package of sliced white button mushrooms

- 1 small onion, sliced into rings

Directions:

- Place mushrooms and onion in bottom of the bundt pan, season with salt and pepper to taste.

- Combine softened butter and dried herbs into a paste.

- Rub the butter mixture under the skin of the chicken and on the outside of the chicken.

- Place the drumstick side of the chicken on the middle of the bundt pan so that it rests securely.

- Sprinkle salt and pepper on the outside of the bird.

- Roast in a 350 degree oven for 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the size of the bird. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast will need to register at 165 degrees before the bird is taken out of the oven.

- Once the bird reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven and let it rest on a plate for 10 minutes before carving.

- Serve with mushroom "gravy".

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes Recipe

- 5 lb red skinned potatoes, washed well and cut into 1 inch cubes (leave the skin on!)

- 1/2 stick butter, softened

- Splash of milk

- 1 lemon, zested

- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely

- Salt and pepper

Directions:

- Place cubed potatoes in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil.

- Once the potatoes are tender, drain them and put them back in the pot they cooked in.

- Mash the potatoes with butter, milk, rosemary, and most of the lemon zest (save a little for garnish!)

- Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer potatoes to a serving dish and garnish with lemon zest and a sprig of fresh rosemary.