Pressed Chicken with Black Olives

1.6kg chicken
sea salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper
¼ cup lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil
12 baby beetroot
1 cup black olives, very finely diced
1 pomegranate, seeded
finely-grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 bunch thyme leaves
charred red cabbage leaves, to serve

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Use a pair of sharp scissors to remove the chicken backbone, then season generously with salt and pepper. Rub with lemon infused olive oil, then place skin side down on a ribbed griddle set over a moderate heat and cook for 10 minutes. Invert, place a 5kg weight on top, then cook for 20 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, wrap the beetroot in foil, place in a roasting pan, then bake for 45 minutes. Peel carefully. Mix the olives, pomegranate, zest and thyme.

3 Arrange red cabbage and beetroot on a platter, top with chicken and drizzle with lemon juice. Scatter with the pomegranate mixture.