Lamb with Cardamom and Orange

Recipe: Yogurt-Marinated Leg of Lamb With Cardamom and Orange
Time: 1 1/2 to 3 hours, largely unattended.

(Stolen in its entirety from the New York Times, April 13, 2011)

Ingredients:

1 5-to-7-pound leg of lamb, preferably at room temperature, shank removed if necessary

1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons orange zest

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper.

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 425º. Remove as much of the surface fat as is practical from the lamb. Mix together the yogurt, mint, orange zest, cardamom, salt and pepper; rub the meat all over with the yogurt mixture. If you have time, let the lamb sit for an hour or more (refrigerate if it will be much longer).

Enlarge This Image

Yunhee Kim for The New York Times; Food stylist: Anne Disrude. Prop Stylist: Deborah Williams.

Leg of lamb with moroccan spices.

Multimedia

How to Carve a Lamb in Three Cuts

Readers' Comments

Readers shared their thoughts on this article.

• Read All Comments (8) »

2. Put the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. (You might line the pan first with aluminum foil to make cleanup easier.) Roast for 30 minutes, then check; if the lamb threatens to burn, turn the heat down to 350º; otherwise leave it at 425º.

3. After about 1 hour (total) of roasting, check the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant-read thermometer. Continue to check every 10 minutes; when it reaches 130 for medium rare (125 for very rare) in its thickest part (check it in several places), it’s done. Total cooking time will be less than 11/2 hours. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving. Serve garnished with more chopped mint.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.