Seven Spice Lamb Leg with Lemon Potatoes

Greek meat & potatoes

Category
Dinner
Cuisine
Mediterranean
Serves
6-8
Time
2 hours 30 minutes
From
José Andrés

lambpotatoesseven spicelemon

Adapted from Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon, by José Andrés

If you've ever had lamb shawarma, you already have an idea what this amazing lamb leg will taste like. I love this recipe because it combines the flavor of classic lamb shawarma while being cooked to a beautiful juicy pink medium rare. The lemon roasted potatoes get nice and crispy, then tossed with the juices of the roast. It's meat and potatoes, but for the gods. And if you have any lamb left over, chill it overnight and slice it cold for sandwiches the next day. In fact, you might even want to make two to be sure you have leftovers!

Ingredients

For the lamb

  • 1 boneless lamb leg (about 3 pounds)
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon dried mint
  • 2 tablespoons Lebanese Seven Spice, divided
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup chicken stock

For the potatoes

  • 3 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ preserved lemon rind, cut into fine strips
  • 5 to 6 fresh bay leaves, or ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, thinly sliced
  • 1 lemon
  • Flaky sea salt

Seven Spice mix

  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 pinch allspice (1 berry, ground)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cloves
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp fenugreek (or cardamom)
  • 1 tsp ginger (and/or paprika)

Instructions

  1. Ask your butcher to butterfly the lamb leg for you, or do it yourself: Place the lamb on a cutting board and trim any fat down to about ¼ inch thick. Remove any opaque connective tissue and then slice a long cut through the thickest part of the meat, about ¾ of the way through the meat (be careful to not cut all the way through), then spread open the meat like a book and lay flat. You want the lamb to have a consistent thickness. Season with salt, then, using a Microplane, grate the garlic cloves over the meat.
  2. Sprinkle the lamb with dried mint and ½ tablespoon of the Lebanese Seven Spice.
  3. Position a rack at the bottom third of the oven and another rack in the middle. Preheat the oven to 300°F and place a rack in a roasting pan.
  4. Cut five to six pieces of butcher's twine, each about 12 inches long. You need them to be long enough to wrap around the leg and tie a knot.
  5. Beginning with the thinnest end of the meat, roll the leg into a cylinder shape. Starting in the center of the lamb roll, wrap the twine around the meat and tie in a tight knot, then move out to the sides, with equal spacing between the ties. Use more pieces of twine if you need to keep a tight uniform shape. Trim off any excess twine.
  6. Generously season the rolled lamb leg with salt and 1½ tablespoons of Lebanese Seven Spice. Spray, or drizzle, olive oil all over the lamb leg.
  7. Lay the lamb on the rack and place the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 45 minutes, then check the temperature of the lamb with a meat thermometer. Continue roasting, checking the temperature every 10 to 15 minutes, until the lamb is browned and reaches 130°F.
  8. Meanwhile, to make the potatoes, put them in a large pot and cover with water and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well, then toss with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and spread them on a sheet pan. After the lamb has cooked for 1 hour, add the potatoes to the oven, on the rack below the roasting pan.
  9. When the lamb is done, transfer it to a cutting board to rest and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
  10. Increase the oven to 400°F and move the potatoes to the middle rack. Continue roasting, occasionally turning them until they begin to brown, about 20 more minutes.
  11. While the potatoes cook, place the roasting pan on the stove top over medium heat and add the chicken stock. Bring to a low simmer and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits with a spatula.
  12. Remove the potatoes from the oven and toss with the oregano, cumin, preserved lemon, and bay leaves or parsley to evenly coat the potatoes.
  13. When ready to serve, place the potatoes on a serving platter and zest the lemon over the potatoes with a Microplane. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with flaky sea salt.
  14. Uncover the lamb and remove the twine. Slice the lamb and lay over the potatoes. Pour any juices that collected on the cutting board into the roasting pan with the warm stock. Whisk together, then spoon over the sliced lamb and potatoes.
  15. Sprinkle the lamb with the remaining ½ tablespoon of seven spice and some flaky sea salt, then drizzle with olive oil.

Notes

  • Ask your butcher to butterfly the lamb leg for easier cooking
  • The lamb should reach 130°F for medium-rare
  • Leftover lamb makes excellent cold sandwiches
  • Lebanese Seven Spice can be found at Middle Eastern markets or made at home
  • For a quick 7 spice mix, use pumpkin pie spice mixed with black pepper, ground ginger and paprika (fenugreek if you have it)