HIGHGUYS FOREVER

Ingredients:
16 cipollini onions or 4 medium onions, quartered lengthwise
2 small spring chickens (about 3-3 1/2 pounds), halved,
backbone removed and split (ask your butcher to split for you)
5-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling
3 tablespoons smoked sweet paprika
3 tablespoons grill seasoning, such as Montreal Seasoning
by McCormick
3 tablespoons chili powder - the redder the chili powder you choose,
the redder the "Devil"
1 1/2 tablespoons ground fennel
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
2 bulbs fennel, trimmed of tops
1 1/2-2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, halved or left whole,
depending on size
1 head garlic
2 pints grape tomatoes
1 handful basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Preparation:
Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.

Place a medium-size pot filled with water over high heat and bring to a
boil to blanch the cipollini onions. Blanching the onions for a minute will
allow you to easily wipe away their skins with a kitchen towel. If your store
does not carry cipollini onions, peel 4 small to medium onions and quarter
them with root ends intact.

While the water is coming up to a boil, prepare the chicken spices: In a small
mixing bowl, combine the smoked paprika, grill seasoning, chili powder,
ground fennel and poultry seasoning. Drizzle the chicken halves with some
EVOO, a couple of tablespoons total, and coat the chicken halves evenly with
spice - they will be deep red in color.

Drop the cipollini onions in the boiling water for a minute, drain and peel.
Trim the top and root ends with a sharp paring knife, and add them to a
roasting pan.

Quarter each bulb of fennel lengthwise and cut the core out of each piece by
cutting into it on an angle twice.
Half each piece again (you want 8 wedges per bulb)
and add them to the roasting pan. Combine the potatoes with fennel and onions,
toss the vegetables with a couple tablespoons EVOO and season with salt and
pepper. Arrange the chickens on top of the vegetables in the center of the pan -
the red chickens will be surrounded by the white vegetables.

Cut the end off the head of garlic to expose the cloves and drizzle the garlic
with a little oil. Wrap it in foil.

Transfer the chicken and the foil-wrapped garlic to the oven. Roast everything
about 45-55 minutes, until chicken juices run clear.

When the chicken is about halfway done, coat the tomatoes with a tablespoon
EVOO, season with salt and pepper, and add to oven to roast, about 20-25 minutes.

Remove the soft garlic cloves by squeezing them from their paper skins. Mash them
in a bowl with a fork then add the roasted tomatoes, basil and parsley. Season with
salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken halves with some fennel, onions and potatoes alongside, topped
with a liberal mound of roasted garlic salsa.

Serves 4