Spice butter is the secret to this melt-in-your-mouth lamb. The roasting technique is a Moroccan style from Paula Wolfert that attempts to achieve the crispy deliciousness of meat roasted on a spit. Our Baharat Powder, with allspice, cumin, coriander and other aromatics, is the perfect complement. Adapted from NYT Cooking.
Trim any excess fat from the lamb roast, but leave at least a thin layer of fat.
Salt the meat on all sides. Bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Coarsely chop the garlic and add sea salt. Using the side of a knife or a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic and salt together into a paste.
Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Continue roasting for 3 to 4 hours, basting every 15 minutes with the buttery juices. The meat is done when the skin is crispy and the lamb is easily pulled off the bone. If at any time the top is in danger of burning, tent with foil and reduce the heat slightly. In this case, remove the foil at the end of cooking and baste the lamb to crisp the skin before removing from the oven.
With a good fried rice recipe under your belt, leftover white rice never needs to go to waste again. We top this version with a crispy egg fried in sesame oil and sprinkle it with our bright and slightly spicy Shichimi Togarashi.
We are big fans of popcorn in our house, not only because it's the perfect snack to go with movie night, but because it's a great palette for spice experiments!
