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Roast Leg of Lamb in Mid Eastern Yogurt Sauce

Source of Recipe

Roasting


Recipe Introduction

Lamb must marinate for at least 24 hours; produces exceptionally tender and juicy meat.

List of Ingredients

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



Recipe

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 450ºF. Place lamb in roasting pan and pour sauce on top. Put lamb in oven and reduce temperature immediately to 350ºF. Roast lamb, basting every 15 minutes, until internal temp reaches 125ºF for rare, 10-12 minutes a pound, or about 1 hour total roasting time. Cook to 130ºF medium rare, 140ºF medium, 150ºF 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.