Roast Chicken with Yoghurt Garlic Sauce

Another Bill Granger, Sydney Food p 136 recommended by Tegan

1 x 1.5 kg chicken
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, finely sliced
2 lemons
1 tbs chopped oregano
5 tbs olive oil

Tomato salad
Small ripe tomatoes
Sea salt
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Flat leaf parsley

Yoghurt Garlic Sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup yoghurt

Remove backbone of chicken. Place chicken breast side down on cutting board and using scissors cut through meat and bone on either side of backbone. Cut off wing tips. Make a small incision at the joint where drumstick meets the thigh. Flatten out the chicken with your hands. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Spread the onion on the bottom of the baking dish and place chicken skin side up on bed of onions. Cut up one of the lemons into fine slices and arrange over the chicken. Sprinkle with oregano and 2tbs olive oil. Cover and leave for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 250*. Remove chicken from marinade, transfer to baking tray and place under hot grill for 10 min or until chicken is golden brown. Turn chicken over, drizzle with another tbs of olive oil and cook on other side till golden brown.

Return chicken, skin side up to baking dish with onions and drizzle with 2tbs olive oil. Bake for 15 min. squeeze juice of remaining lemon over chicken and cook for a further 10 min or till chicken cooked.

Serve with tomato salad and garlic sauce.

Tomato salad and garlic sauce
Quarter tomatoes and sprinkle with sea salt, vinegar and olive oil. Marinate an hour before draining and mix with chopped flat leaf parsley and drizzle of olive oil.
To make garlic sauce, mix ingredients and leave 1 hour