greek-style lemon & oregano roast chicken … my way

• begin by combining the 2 tbsp white vinegar and 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp salt and mix well
• over a baking pan with a rack, pour the liquid baste inside and outside the chicken, recuperate the excess liquid and pour over and inside again several times and let the chicken sit at room temperature until dry for 30 minutes (or 1-2 hours in the refrigerator)
• preheat oven to 180°C, remove zest from the 2 lemons, place zest on baking paper on a baking sheet and partly dry out for 5-10 minutes (do not let the lemon zest brown or the lemon essences will have evaporated, it must still be yellowish), then remove from oven and let cool
• prepare the dry baste/marinade for the chicken by combining and finely grinding together all the ingredients, using a mortar & pestle (or even better, in a coffee bean grinder for a finer powder that will stick better to the chicken skin)
• prepare the vegetable marinade for the vegetables by combining all ingredients in a food processor until smooth (except for the 2 bay leaves, lemon slices and the wheat semolina)

note : do not throw away the empty lemon halves nor the stalks of the fresh herbs, you will use them later to stuff the chicken

• sprinkle the inside of the chicken with 2 tbsp of dry baste mix and then fill the chicken with the empty half-lemons (that were used before), add 1 onion cut in half, 2 bay leaves and any remaining herb branches and stalks and close up both openings in the chicken using small metal skewers
• sprinkle the outside of the chicken with 4 tbsp dry baste/marinade (save 1 tbsp for later) and press the spice coating onto the skin and in every fold to penetrate well and let sit for another 30 minutes at room temperature (or 1-2 hours in the refrigerator, but remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting, to reach room temperature)
• wash the small potatoes (leave  the skins on), peel the small onions and 4 small garlic cloves, slice the lemon in 4 quarters and finally toss the vegetables with the vegetable marinade until well coated, then add and toss with the wheat semolina and add the 2 bay leaves, place in your roasting pan and bake for 30-45 minutes at 180°C, stirring them occasionally (to get a head start before roasting the chicken)

note : wheat semolina absorbs the extra liquids and allows the onions and potatoes to get a crispier skin and partly baking the vegetables before the chicken gives you a head start and makes them more tender

• remove the roasting pan with the vegetables from the oven, stir the vegetables, place a roasting rack on top and place the chicken on top, breast side down and preheat oven to 230°C
• when the oven is hot, put the roasting dish on the bottom rack and roast the chicken and vegetables for 30 minutes, then turn chicken over and roast for an additional 30 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden
• turn the oven off, remove the roasting pan, recuperate some roasting pan juices, stir the vegetables and re-baste the chicken on both sides with 1-2 tbsp olive oil mixed with 1-2 tbsp roasting juices (recuperated from the bottom of the roasting pan) and 1 tbsp of the remaining dry baste/marinade, top with 2 lemon slices and a branch of fresh oregano and place back in the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes (to give the skin some more shine and extra flavor)
• remove roasting pan from oven, let sit for 5 minutes (covered with aluminum foil), remove the small metal skewers and aromatics stuffing and discard, cut-up chicken and serve warm with the vegetables and roasting juices.