Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables and Andouille

It's spring somewhere on the planet.
1 4-ish lb roaster chicken
1 bunch (6-8) fresh varietal carrots, peeled
2 large fresh spring onions, coarsely chopped
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and cut into coarse matchsticks
2 links Andouille sausage, cut into 4-6 pieces

palmful fresh lemon balm, minced
1/2 palmful fresh oregano, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
palmful fresh lemon thyme sprigs
2 dozen fresh sage leaves

Preheat the oven to 425F. Mix together the lemon balm, oregano and garlic with the olive oil in a small bowl.

Cut the carrots in half.  Lay the chopped vegetables in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper generously. Stir the mixture together. Roast veggies for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile spatchcock the chicken by cutting the back portion out with strong poultry shears. You can reserve the back for stock. Spreading the chicken out on a clean surface, press the breast with your palms to flatten the bird.

When the veggies have roasted, remove the pan from the oven and lay the chicken onto the veggies. Scatter the andouille sausage around the chicken. Paste the herb mixture onto the chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Finally, scatter the thyme and sage leaves about the dish.

Reduce the oven to 375F and roast the chicken for about an hour, until the juices run clear.

Serves 4-6.