Roasted Half Chicken with Pear & Thyme

• Toss onion and pear on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, remaining thyme, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Arrange in middle of sheet in a single layer. (For 4, arrange across entire sheet.) • Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; rub all over with a drizzle of oil. (See a feather? Grip the end using a paper towel and pull!) Season all over with thyme mixture. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of onion and pear. (For 4, add chicken to a second baking sheet.)

• Roast chicken, onion, and pear on top rack until chicken is browned and cooked through and onion and pear are tender, 35-45 minutes. (For 4 servings, roast chicken on top rack and onion and pear on middle rack.) TIP: If chicken skin begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil. • Once chicken is done, transfer to a plate to rest. TIP: To ensure chicken is cooked through, insert a thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh and breast (avoiding any bones). Once chicken is cooked, the bones may still appear pink—this is OK!

• While chicken, onion, and pear roast, dice potatoes into ½-inch pieces (peel if desired). Trim green beans if necessary. • Place potatoes in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. • Reserve ½ cup potato cooking liquid, then drain and return potatoes to pot. Mash with sour cream and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until smooth and creamy, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

• While potatoes cook, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green beans and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring constantly, until coated in oil, 30 seconds. • Carefully add ¼ cup plain water (½ cup for 4 servings) and cover with a lid. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until green beans begin to soften and turn bright green in color and liquid has evaporated, 1-2 minutes. • Turn off heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer green beans to a medium bowl.

• Once onion and pear are cooked, carefully transfer to pan used for green beans. • To pan with onion and pear, add ⅓ cup plain water, stock concentrate, half the mustard, and 1 TBSP butter (½ cup plain water, all the mustard, and 2 TBSP butter for 4 servings). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is glossy and thick, 1-3 minutes (if any resting juices from chicken have accumulated on plate, add to sauce for extra flavor!)