Cornish Game Hen Alla Diavola

For centuries, Romans and Florentines have roasted chickens and other birds al mattone, or weighed down under a foil-wrapped brick to keep them flat and help them become crispy and juicy. When the bird’s marinade includes red pepper, it’s known as alla diavola, or devil’s fare, for the peppery taste and charred flesh.

If you don’t want to “spatchcock” the bird to remove the breastbone, cut out the backbone, as suggested below, then cut the breast side in half, remove the keel bone,