Leg of Lamb with Onions, Potatoes, and Tomatoes
My aunt Latifa and uncle Mousa lived in a villa in a suburb of Cairo. It was large and housed their extended family. There was no oven. Much of the cooking was done over a mangal (portable outdoor grill) and a Primus oil heater, and trays were sent off daily to the baker to be cooked in the bread oven. This dish was sent to the baker.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pierce the leg of lamb all over with the point of a sharp knife and insert the slivers of garlic at different depths. Rub generously with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Put the prepared lamb, fat side up, in a large baking dish or roasting pan, and surround it with the sliced potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. Pour in 1/2 cup water, and sprinkle if you like with a little rigani or oregano.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Put in the leg of lamb and reduce the heat immediately to 325°F. Roast for about 2 1/2 hours, or until done to your liking, basting occasionally with the pan juices.
Step 4
Turn the vegetables over once during the cooking so that they cook evenly in the juices from the joint, and pour off excess fat. The joint should be very tender and juicy, and the vegetables quite soft. I like them practically disintegrating, but if you prefer them to be rather more firm, add them to the roast after about half an hour’s cooking, when the meat has already released some fat. Baste the vegetables when you baste the meat, and moisten occasionally with a little water if necessary.
Step 5
Let the meat rest in the turned-off oven with the door open for 15 minutes before serving. Remove the lamb to a board—it makes carving easier.
Variation
Step 6
You can of course cook the leg of lamb without the vegetables. Here is a sauce which you can pour on each serving as you hand it out: fry a handful of blanched, slivered almonds in a drop of oil till golden, add the defatted juices from the pan and a little water, and stir in 2 tablespoons black or golden raisins.
