roast lamb shoulder with indian spices

This recipe is based on one from Sinfully Spicy

Roast Lamb Shoulder with Indian Spices makes a beautiful presentation for Shabbat or holidays. Well spiced, but not spicy it’s addictingly flavorful. The original recipe calls for using yogurt in the marinade. Using non-dairy yogurt makes it accessible to those who keep kosher, with no loss in taste or texture. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients. Once you’ve gathered them, the roast demands very little prep time.kfkfkf

If you are able to use freshly ground spices, do so. The flavor is remarkably better.

Starting with a very hot oven produces a nicely browned outer crust. The temperature is then lowered to allow the meat to roast slowly, becoming beautifully tender and perfectly cooked.

It’s best to let the meat marinate for 24 hours, so try to plan ahead.

Using a meat thermometer will ensure that your lamb roast is cooked exactly to your liking.

Ingredients:

1 lamb shoulder roast—about 5 pounds

2 large whole cloves garlic, cut into slivers

For the marinade—

¼ cup plain non-dairy yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (a garlic press works well for this)

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

¼ cup green herbs finely chopped, I used fresh cilantro & fresh mint leaves

1 ½  teaspoons salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon chaat masala

Optional: 1 teaspoon ground red chili, or more, if you’d like to add some heat

Method:

Make small slits all around the roast and stuff them with slivers of garlic.

Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl.

Use your hands to slather the entire roast with the marinade. Use it all, and massage it in well. Refrigerate the roast overnight.

Remove the roast from the fridge at least half and hour before cooking, to bring it up to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 450º.

Arrange the roast on a wire rack in a roasting pan.

Slide the roast into the oven and roast for 5 minutes.

Turn down the heat to 350º

After 1 ½ hours, start checking for doneness.

A meat thermometer should register 135 for medium rare, 150 for medium, and 160 for well done (not recommended).

When the lamb has reached your desired temperature, remove it from the oven, cover it with foil, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. During this time, the temperature will come up another 10 degrees and the juices will distribute themselves throughout.