Roast Leg of Lamb in Mid Eastern Yogurt Sauce
Lamb must marinate for at least 24 hours; produces exceptionally
tender and juicy meat.
4 pounds half leg of lamb
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, peel and chop
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt
1 dash hot sauce
4 large baking potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup chicken broth
If using whole leg of lamb, double ingredients for sauce. Roast the
lamb with potatoes cut into quarters. Place the lamb in a large
bowl. Place yogurt, basil, garlic, pine nuts, oil, cumin, cinnamon
and salt in food processor; process until smooth. Sauce will be thin
at this point, and will thicken while roasts. Taste for seasoning
and add hot pepper sauce to taste. Sauce should have a bit of a
punch. Pour sauce over lamb, cover and refrigerate, turning lamb
every 12 hours, for at least 24 hrs, up to 48 hrs.
Preheat oven to 450�F. Place lamb in roasting pan and pour sauce on
top. Put lamb in oven and reduce temperature immediately to 350�F.
Roast lamb, basting every 15 minutes, until internal temp reaches
125�F for rare, 10-12 minutes a pound, or about 1 hour total
roasting time. Cook to 130�F medium rare, 140�F medium, 150�F well
done. Remove roasting pan. Place lamb on cutting board, loosely
covered with foil, 10 minutes before carving. Sauce, which will be
thick, can be drizzled over lamb. If you like smoother sauce, heat
pan over mod heat, scrape any browned juices, and whisk in stock and
season to taste. Cut meat into thin slices and serve with sauce.
Serves 4-6. |