Slow-Roasted Palestinian Leg of Lamb

Slow-Roasted Palestinian Leg of Lamb

Yield: 4-6
Author: Bethlehem Cookbook
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 7 H & 30 MInactive time: 20 MinTotal time: 8 H & 5 M

Lamb is the meat you cook in Palestine to honor a guest. From the feasts of mansaf to the roasted stuffed lambs in the tannurs of the Samaritans, lamb is always the pièce de résistance of a Palestinian celebration table.


Fenugreek is widely used in Palestine in a dessert cake made of semolina called hilbeh, and rarely in a savory preparation. In this recipe, fenugreek, cardamom, and allspice lend the succulent lamb a delicious fragrance.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons cardamom pods
  • 1½ teaspoons fenugreek seeds
  • 1 teaspoons allspice berries
  • 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4½ pounds whole bone-in leg of lamb
  • 1 garlic bulb, halved
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 2 1/8 cups lamb stock (or substitute chicken stock)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Slightly crush the cardamom pods with the blunt end of a knife and place in a bowl. Add the fenugreek, allspice, salt, and olive oil and mix well. Rub it all over the leg of lamb.
  3. Transfer the lamb to a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes, until browned.
  4. Remove the pan from the oven and decrease the heat to 325°F.
  5. Add the garlic, onions, and lamb stock to the roasting pan. If the lamb is not one-quarter submerged in the liquid, add some hot water. Cover the roasting pan first with parchment paper, then aluminum foil.
  6. Cook for 3½ hours. Check the liquid, add more hot water as needed, and return the pan to the oven for another 2½ hours. The lamb should be falling apart. Uncover and roast for 20 minutes more to brown.
  7. Remove the lamb from the oven, cover with parchment paper, then aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes.
  8. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board. Pass the pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, discarding the solids. Simmer the juices over medium heat to reduce to a thick sauce, around 15 minutes, then taste and add salt if needed. Serve the lamb with a spoonful of the sauce on top.