Get ready. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F.

Make the Za’atar-Garlic Sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the za’atar, sumac, paprika, garlic, lemon juice and enough olive oil to coat the chicken (½ cup or so).

Prep the veggies. Arrange the potatoes, carrots and onions on a large sheet pan and season with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle 3 to 4 tablespoons of the za’atar-garlic sauce over the vegetables and mix well with your hands so they’re well coated. Spread the vegetables on the sheet pan without overlapping.

Flavor the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and loosen the skins a bit by gently sliding beneath the skin with your finger, separating the skin from the meat (you can use gloves). Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides and underneath the skins (very important). Now season underneath the skins again with the remainder of the Za’atar-Garlic Sauce.

Roast the chicken. Nuzzle the chicken into the vegetables. If you have any of the za’atar-garlic sauce left, drizzle it over top. Cover with foil and bake on the center rack of your heated oven for about 25 minutes, then carefully discard the foil and return to the oven for another 30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and the skins have begun to brown and crisp in many parts.

In the final 5 minutes, toast the almonds (optional). If you’re serving with the almonds, toss them with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle over the almost-cooked chicken, and bake until they’re almonds lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Serve. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and a pinch more za’atar and serve.