Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

oasted chicken is touted as one of the easiest and most inexpensive meals any cook can make. Yet until this weekend, I'd never tried it. Hooray for trying new things, right? I combined advice from the Food Network's Ina Garten (whose recipe I sought) and Melissa D'Arabian (whose show was on at the time; she was also making roast chicken). The result: yup, pretty easy alright! I just wish I'd roasted the vegetables separately, or at least clumped everything under the chickens where they wouldn't burn.

2 4 lbs whole chickens
1 large yellow onion
1 lemon
6 carrots, peeled and halved
1 lb white button mushrooms, halved
8 red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F. Thoroughly rinse and dry chickens outer skin and cavity; add salt, pepper, onion and lemon quarters. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen twine or silicone bands. Rub oil onto chicken skin, add salt and pepper, and place breast-side down on wire rack. In large roasting pan, toss carrots, mushrooms and potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Center vegetables in pan and place chickens on rack atop vegetables. Roast 15 minutes and turn chickens breast-side up, returning to heat for another hour or until juices run clear.