Peloponnesian Kotopoulo Riganato (Κοτόπουλο Ριγανάτο)

Kotopoulo riganato belongs to the Peloponnesian table in its plainest, strongest form: chicken, lemon, olive oil, and a serious hand with dried rigani, the Greek mountain oregano that gives the dish its name. It isn't a delicate roast. It should smell sharp and green before it goes into the oven, then come out browned, glossy, and loud with lemon.

The method that decides it is dryness. Marinate the chicken, yes, but roast it skin-side up with the pan liquid kept low and to the side. If the lemony oil sits on the skin in a puddle, the oregano softens and the skin never gets its proper bite. Keep the top dry and the herb toasts into the fat. That's the dish.

I like it with potatoes in the same pan when the week is hard and supper must be complete. For a dinner table, serve the chicken alone with horta, feta, and country bread for the juices. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.