Brick-Grilled Garlic Chicken with Green Olives

Tuscany is credited with developing this style of grilling chicken, called pollo al mattone in Italian. Flattening the bird with the weight of bricks allows for quicker, more even cooking throughout. And the results are delicious.

You don’t need much adornment for this dish because the marinated, juicy, tender meat spells succulent flavor all by itself. I simply mixed up some olives and olive oil with fresh lemon juice and chopped herbs leftover from the marinade. Spoon it on top and serve.

Tip: Kitchen shears are your best friend when it’s time to butterfly a chicken. Lay the bird breast-side down on a cutting board, and clip off the tail. Slowly cut along one side of the backbone from the bottom up to the neck cavity. Repeat on the other side and remove the backbone. Push the sides of the chicken out (like opening a book) and flatten slightly. Turn it breast-side up and press on the breastbone to flatten more, then let the bricks do the rest while grilling.

Cut along 1 side of the backbone

Cut along the other side and remove

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary, basil, and chives, divided
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4-lb chicken, butterflied
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped green olives
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

Preparation

1. Combine the garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, and half the herbs in a small bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a baking dish large enough to hold it butterflied.
2. Gently lift the skin without tearing or loosening too much (just enough to slide your fingers underneath). Rub some of the marinade over the flesh and rub the remainder all over the outside, front and back. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Rub Mixture

Ready to Chill

1. Prepare a grill for off-heat cooking. (For a charcoal grill, bank the coals on one side.) Wrap 2 bricks in a double layer of aluminum foil.
2. Remove the chicken from the dish and gently blot any excess oil from the skin. Place breast-side down on the off-heat side of the grill and place the bricks on top, positioning to cover and flatten as much of the chicken as possible.
3. Grill 10 minutes, undisturbed. Use heavy tongs or oven mitts to move the bricks to the side. Turn the chicken over then replace the bricks.
4. Continue grilling, turning 2 or 3 times, until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 1 hour, depending on size. (Note: About halfway through, turn the bricks over so that the first sides that touched the raw chicken are now turned up, away from skin and flesh.)
5. Meanwhile, combine the olives, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining chopped herbs in a bowl.

Beginning to Grill

After 1st Turn

Grilled Chicken

Olive Mixture

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Carve into 4 pieces and place on a platter. Spoon the olive mixture overtop and serve.

Brick-Grilled Garlic Chicken with Green Olives

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Pan-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fried-Sage Butter

I love potatoes—especially fingerling potatoes. Their small size, thin skin, and creamy texture make them perfect for pan roasting. Start cooking them on the stovetop, then pop them in the oven to finish roasting until the flesh is wonderfully tender and the skins are golden brown.

These little spuds are great with just salt and pepper, but for a little extra flavor and mmmm-factor, I tossed them with a bit of butter spiked with savory fried sage. Frying fresh sage leaves takes all of 5 seconds, and they crisp up while cooling. Crumble them and mash them with softened butter, and your potatoes (and guests) will be extra happy.

Also check out Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette or Roasted Petite Potatoes with Rosemary-Garlic Butter.

Serves 4 (easily doubled)

Ingredients

• 10 oz small fingerling potatoes (about 2 inches long) halved lengthwise
• olive oil for drizzling and brushing, plus 2 tbsp
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5 medium-small sage leaves
• 1-1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

Fingerling Potatoes

Sage Leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Place the potatoes in a bowl and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
3. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brush with olive oil and pour the potatoes into the skillet. Sear, stirring frequently, 8 minutes.
4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender and golden brown, 14-15 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. 

Ready to Cook

Beginning to Cook

Ready to Roast

Roasted Potatoes

1. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet or saucepan until very hot but not smoking. Fry the sage leaves, stirring, 5 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a layer of paper towels (leaves will crisp as they cool). Season with salt and let cool completely.
2. Place the softened butter in a bowl and cut into small chunks. Finely crumble the sage leaves and sprinkle over the butter. Use a fork to mash the butter and sage together, combining well.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and dollop with teaspoons of sage butter. 

Beginning to Fry

Fried Sage

Crumble Sage over Butter

Fried-Sage Butter

Dollop with Butter

Stir gently and serve hot.

Pan-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Fried-Sage Butter

Grilled Opah (Moonfish) with Apricot-Lemon Glaze

Opah—also called moonfish because of its disc-like shape—is a large, colorful, deep-water fish common in the waters surrounding Hawaii and other tropical regions. Its colorful skin features hues of bluish silver, orange, and red, while the flesh ranges from areas of light pink to reddish-orange—but it all tends to turn white when cooked. Like tuna or swordfish, opah is typically cut into thick, steak-like filets, and its firmness makes it a great fish for grilling.

From National Geographic.com. Photo by Ralph Pace

The opah’s mild, sweet flavor goes well with a complementary sweet glaze or sauce. Here, I made a simple glaze with apricot preserves and a splash of fresh lemon juice for a tangy contrast. If you can’t find opah in your local fish market, the glaze will work well with tuna, swordfish, or even thick-cut salmon steaks.

Note: I made a hot lump-charcoal fire and let the coals cool to medium to medium-low so I could grill the fish directly over them. If you don’t have time to wait for the coals to cool a bit, simply grill the fish close to the fire but not directly above the flames. This prevents the tender flesh from burning quickly, while still resulting in a nice char and light, smoky flavor.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 tsp unsalted butter
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 12-oz piece of opah, about 1-1/2 inches thick, halved
• olive oil, for rubbing

Opah Steak

Preparation

1. Light a grill for medium heat with space for off-heat grilling, if needed.
2. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes.
3. Add the apricot preserves and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the glaze thickens, 4 minutes. 
4. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand while the fish grills.

Garlic in Butter

Glaze Beginning to Cook

Apricot-Lemon Glaze

1. Rub the opah pieces with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub the grill grate with oil. 
2. Grill the fish off heat until lightly charred on the outside and but still opaque in the middle, 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. (Tip: If your fish pieces are very thick, you can turn them to grill on all 4 sides for about 2 minutes each, instead of just grilling on the top and bottom sides.)

Fish Beginning to Cook

Grilled Opah

Transfer to plates, brush with glaze, and serve right away.

Grilled Opah (Moonfish) with Apricot-Lemon Glaze