Pollo Al Mattone

Photo: flickr user citymama

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, trimmed of excess fat, rinsed, dried and split, backbone removed

1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary

Salt and freshly black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon garlic, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 lemon, cut into quarters

Preparation

Place the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down, and press down hard to make it as flat as possible.

Mix together the rosemary leaves, salt, pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and rub this all over the chicken.

Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to a day.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Preheat an ovenproof 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Press rosemary sprigs, into the skin side of the chicken. Put remaining olive oil in the pan and wait for it to heat up and just barely begin smoking.

Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, along with any remaining pieces of rosemary and garlic; weight two bricks or rocks, wrapped in aluminum foil. The idea is to flatten the chicken by applying weight evenly over its surface. You can use a second ovenproof frying pan if you don't have bricks.

Cook on stove over medium-high to high heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and remove the weights; turn the chicken over (it will now be skin side up) and roast until done (about 10 more minutes). Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.