My favorite roast chicken

If I remember/have time, I'll marinate this overnight, but I've done it tons of times where I've only been able to marinate the chicken for an hour and it's still great.

1. Cut the garlic cloves into pieces then bash them to a paste, with half a teaspoon of salt, in a mortar and pestle (if you don't have one, just mince them then smash with the side of your knife). Add the coriander seeds and smash them up too.

2. Add the juice of the lemon, the olive oil, and another teaspoon of salt. Stir it with a fork until it comes together a bit, but don’t worry about mixing it too well—it’s not important.

3. Rub the mixture all over the chicken, inside and out. You’re gonna end up with a bunch stuck to your hands, but don’t worry about it. If you can, refrigerate the chicken overnight, or for an hour or two, or for as long as you’ve got.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF/230ºC. When it’s there, put the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side down (this helps protect the breast from overcooking), and grind some pepper over it. Put roasting pan in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 390º/200º, cooking at that temp for a further 15-20 minutes, until the bird is quite brown. At that point, turn the chicken over, put back in the oven and roast for another 15 minutes or so, until the breast browns nicely.

5. A lot of people will tell you to let a roast rest for 10-15 minutes after you take it out of the oven, for the juices to run back into the meat. This will make things taste better, but again, it’s another one of those things that doesn’t matter that much. If you’re ready to eat, carve that fucker up. Obviously, check to see if it’s done first: pierce the skin; if the juices run clear, not pink, it’s done. If you’re still not sure, just cut into a meaty part of the thigh (away from a bone) and look in there.