September is Love Local Month — and tomorrow, September 22, is National Eat Local Day! It’s the perfect excuse to cook at home and pull together a complete meal made entirely from local ingredients. Here’s one to get you started, built around Mary’s chicken.

Local Mary’s Chicken with Caramelized Carrots

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Mary’s whole chicken legs
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 bunch small, thin carrots, preferably with their green tops
• 2 heads garlic, unpeeled and halved crosswise to expose the cloves
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
• ½ bunch oregano, plus more leaves for garnish
• 1 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F and season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
2. If your carrots came with greens, trim the tops to about ½ to 1 inch and set the greens aside for
garnish.
3. Nestle the chicken legs flat and snug in a large shallow baking dish or braising pot (about 2½ to 3
quarts). Tuck the halved garlic, carrots, lemon slices, and oregano in around the chicken, then pour
the olive oil over the top and season once more with salt and pepper.
4. Roast, uncovered, until the chicken is meltingly tender and the carrots and lemon have
caramelized — about 55 to 65 minutes.
5. Let rest a few minutes, then serve on plates or right from the dish, scattered with the reserved
carrot tops and a little extra oregano.