1.5 kg chicken
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half
4 slices pumpkin, peeled and deseeded
4 small onions, whole but papery skin peeled off
4 medium parsnips, peeled and left whole
4 medium carrots, peeled and left whole
5 large kumara, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
garlic salt to sprinkle

Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Fold the wings underneath the chicken and tie the legs together with a small piece of string.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Brush or spray the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.

In a separate roasting pan drizzle olive oil over the prepared vegetables. Stir so that they are well coated, then sprinkle with garlic salt.

Place both pans in the oven and set the timer for 1 ½ hours. Stir the vegetables after 30 minutes and again at 1 hour so that they cook evenly and are coloured golden brown.

To test that the chicken is properly cooked, pierce the thick part of its thigh with a sharp skewer or small knife. If the juice that runs out is clear, then the chicken is ready. If the juice is still pink, the chicken needs to cook longer (generally, 30 minutes per 500 g at 180°C for perfect chicken). When cooked, remove from the oven. Check the vegetables are nice and crispy but leave them in the oven and turn it off.

Lift the chicken out of the roasting pan to a serving plate. Cover it with a sheet of tinfoil and keep it warm in the turned off oven.

To make the gravy:
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tip out the fat from the roasting pan. Place the pan on the top of the stove over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Use a wire whisk to stir and scrape up any bits of chicken stuck on the pan. Pour in the chicken stock and stir with the whisk. The gravy will thicken and start to boil. If it is quite thick, add a little extra water or chicken stock. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pour into a small gravy boat or jug.

Serve the roast chicken and vegetables and gravy with a green vegetable like broccoli, peas or green beans.