Moroccan leg of lamb

I am after a tried and tested slow roasted leg of lamb, Moroccan style. Not a recipe for a slow cooker, but for the oven.
I usually do Jamie O's 8 hour leg of lamb and wonder if I just use some Ras El Hanout etc on it. maybe a tin of tomatoes and chickpeas. But thought if some had a recipe that would be great, thanks.

I can attest to the roasted smen coated lamb with honey from the "Flavours Of Morocco" book by Ghilie Basan.it is a great book which I use often, especially if I am doing a tagine or this particular dish which is served with buttery couscous ( which, I might add is delicious) Let me know if you would like me to put up the recipe. it uses a 2kg leg of lamb for the recipe

Moroccan Leg of Lamb

Serves 6

2.2 kg leg of lamb
75g soft butter
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt

to serve:

1 tap ground cumin
1 ½ tsp salt

Heat oven to 220 C
Cut deep slits in top & sides of lamb.
Mix spices & salt & butter and spread all over lamb & into slits.
Place bone-side down in roasting dish & bake 10 min, baste.Reduce heat to
150 C & bake 3 ½ hours, basting every 20 min.

Serve with mixture of cumin & salt to dip.

I serve this with a salad of tomato, red onion, parsley and coriander, and buttered boiled kumara.

Thanks for these recipes, CookE, I googled that recipe thanks. David, do you cover the roasting dish in foil! I usually do when slow roasting.
That buttery couscous looks nice, my husband hates couscous, so always looking for ways he might like it!

Yes please!

I cover it for the first few hours then remove the lid for the last hour to allow the meat to brown.

I often cook a shoulder of lamb in this way - about 5 hours - and we prefer it to a leg.

my last shoulder of lamb I bought from my butcher was so fatty, I was so disappointed, so havent braved another one! I do like a shoulder of pork slow roasted though.

Do you have the recipe for the buttery Couscous cooksessentials!

If you cook the shoulder as Davidt described then the fat cooks out also the meat shrinks back from the bones allowing them to be pulled free giving an easy carve roast. I do this with the extra large shoulders of mutton we get from a relatives farm occasionally. 5 hours is a long roast but the result is spectacular (I do the mutton over charcoal on the kettle BBQ).

Sure do!

BUTTERY COUSCOUS (Kesksou)
350g couscous, rinsed & drained
1/2 tsp sea salt
400ml warm water
2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
25g of butter, broken into little pieces

FOR THE TOP
15g butter
2-3 tbsp blanched, flaked almonds.

Preheat oven to 180C Tip couscous into an oven-proof dish. Stir the salt into the water and pour it over the couscous. Leave the couscous to absorb the water for about 10 minutes.

Using your fingers, rub the oil into the couscous grains to break up the lumps and aerate them. Scatter the butter over the surface and cover with a piece of foil or wet greaseproof paper. Put the dish in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the couscous is heated through. Meanwhile, prepare the almonds. Melt the butter in a haeavy based frying pan over a medium heat, add the almonds and cook, stirring until they begin to turn golden. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Take the couscous out of the oven and fluff up the grains with a fork. Serve it from the dish or tip onto a warm plate and pile it high, into a mound and scatter the almonds over the top.

I do cook them long and slow, about 7-8 hours, but this one was more fat than meat! Was actually last Mothers Day as I had 6 adults to lunch and there wasnt a lot of lamb to go round!

ROASTED SMEN-COATED LAMB WITH HONEY (Mechoui)

1 leg lamb ( about 2kg)
200ml water
2-3 tbsp runny honey ( I use rewarewa)
10-12 pieces of fresh fruit such as figs, plums or apricots ( optional)
Bunch of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

SMEN COATING
4 garlic cloves, chopped
40g fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
A generous pinch of sea salt
A small bunch each of coriander and flat leaf parsley, chopped
1-2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp smen, ( which is an aged butter, recipe to come!) softened butter or olive oil
Serve with buttery couscous, a handful of chopped almonds and pistachios ( optional)

First, make the smen coating. Using a mortar and pestle. pund the garlic, ginger and chilli with enough salt to form a coarse paste. Add the fresh coriander & parsley, pound to a paste and stir in the ground cumin and coriander. Put the smen in a bowl and beat in the paste until thoroughly mixed. Cut small incisions in the leg of lamb with a sharp knife and rub the spicy smen all over the meat, making sure it goes into the incisions. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Transfer the leg of lamb to a roasting dish and pour the water around it. Roast in the pre-heated oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes, basting from time to time until it is nicely browned. Spoon the honey over the lamb and place the fresh figs, plums or apricots around the meat, if using. Return the dish to the oven for a further 15 minutes. Put the roast lamb in a serving dish and leave it to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, heat the juices in the roasting dish, season with salt and pepper and pour over the roast lamb. Sprinkle the coriander over the top and, if using the fruit, arrange it around the dish. Serve accompianied by a mound of buttery couscous tossed with chopped almonds and pistachios.

SMEN ( Aged Butter)
Definately an acquired taste, this fairly pungent butter is often flavoured with herbs and spices and is left to mature in earthenware pots for months, sometimes years! It is a traditional specialty of the Berbers who enjoy it smeared on bread or used as the primary cooking fat to enhance the flavour of couscous and some tagines.

500g unsalted butter at room temp
150ml water
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp dried oregano
Soften the butter in a bowl. Boil the water in a saucepan with the salt and oregano to reduce it a little, then strain it directly onto the butter. Stir the butter with a wooden spoon to make sure it is well blended, then let it cool. Knead the butter with your hands to bind it, squeezing out any excess water. Drain well and spoon into a hot, sterilized jar. Seal the jar and store it in a cool, dry place for at least six weeks

Bit of a pain when that happens EH!

Great, thanks cooksessentials, the lamb is on. It smells fantastic already

You are most welcome. let us know what you think.

Hey beausun, how did the lamb turn out!