Ana Sortun, chef/founder of Oleana in Cambridge, Massachusetts, loves Turkish cooking so much that she has devoted her culinary life to kebabs, börek, fattoush, kataifi, baklava and dozens of other dishes that I have sampled over the years at her renowned eatery. But she also has a playful streak, using Turkish and/or Middle Eastern flavors to design dishes that are close to home for the American cook. An example is roast chicken under a brick (pollo al mattone) flavored with lemon and za’atar.

Sortun bones a half chicken, tucks some of the dark meat around the breast meat, shoves cold butter and lemon confit under the skin and cooks it under a brick. Boning chicken is a restaurant technique—a bit much for home cooks. So instead, we spatchcocked the bird (removed the backbone and pressed it flat), and stuffed butter, lemon zest and sumac under the skin—sumac being a classic Middle Eastern spice that adds a hint of sour depth. The bird is cooked under a brick (in this case, a pot) breast side down until well-browned, then flipped and finished in a 450 degree oven. A quick sauce is made in the skillet with lemon juice and drippings.

This dish reminded me of a few valuable classic techniques that have disappeared from my repertoire. For the most part, I find chicken skin inedible unless deeply rendered. The weighted skillet method really does the trick. Finishing the chicken in the oven, still in the skillet, also makes the recipe foolproof. Finally, it’s a reminder that the classic French technique of stuffing flavored butter under the skin is still a good idea. So, Italian meets French meets Turkish. Not bad for just one recipe.

Christopher Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."