It’s not everyday that I cook lamb. Although, it’s rare to find an Arab household that doesn’t cook lamb. I’m told it’s an acquired taste. I can’t attest to said acquired taste because I grew up eating lamb before I even knew that it was any different from beef.
I’ve noticed a trend of sorts, even the burger joints I’ve been to have introduced lamb burgers to their menus. This time, I decided to go simple with roasted lamb leg. The tricky part is trying to figure out what spices to use… to marinate, or not to marinate? That was a decision to make. I remember quite vividly the first time my dad brought home a whole lamb. Yes, a whole lamb. It was sprawled out on our round kitchen table (in a kitchen I remember to be distinctly green – must have been decorated back in the 80s), ready for mom to begin the prep. I remember coming back into the kitchen to find the lamb fully covered in yogurt, with a distinct garlic aroma. Too young to know what needed to be done next, I didn’t see the lamb again until dinner. We might have had a dinner party that night. It was delicious nonetheless.
Here I am, many years later trying to recreate mom’s amazing marinade.
Ingredients
- Leg of Lamb, 3 lbs
- 1 cup Plain Greek Greek Yogurt
- Sea Salt, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Seven Spice
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 4 cloves Garlic, smashed
Instructions
- Mix together yogurt, seven spice, salt, nutmeg, cardamom, seven spice and garlic.
- Marinate yogurt in marinade overnight in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Place lamb leg in a deep roasting pan, or on a roasting rack.
- Cook for 3 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers about 160-170 degrees
- Serve with your choice of vegetables.
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