Ingredients
- 1/2 Suckling Lamb approximately 9-11 lbs.
- 6 oz. lard or vegetable shortening, melted
- Salt
Preparation
Rinse the lamb and pat dry. Trim off excess fat and discard.
Place lamb in roasting pan or other oven proof dish. (Traditionally, the Spanish use large, open clay dishes.) Rub the lamb with salt and baste with the melted lard. Place in oven to roast. Occasionally baste with large and turn until lamb is golden brown on the outside and meat is tender.
Roast potatoes are a great accompaniment to this dish. To roast potatoes, peel 8-10 small potatoes and cut in half. Place in the roasting pan around the lamb. Baste with large when you baste the lamb.
The amount of time that the lamb spends in the oven will depend on how thick the piece(s) of meat are. A good rule of thumb for a bone-in leg of lamb at 400F is to allow about 30 minutes roasting time per pound of lamb.
Recommended wines
Costers del Siurana 'Clos de L'Obac' 2002
Region: Priorat – Rating: 91 - 'Balanced and lush.'
COMPOSITION: Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Syrah, Merlot, Cariñena
TASTING NOTES: "Toasty oak supports ripe fruit flavors of roasted plum and cassis in this concentrated yet polished red. It has plenty of backbone, but remains balanced and lush. Best from 2006 through 2012. 200 cases imported. 91 Points." ---Wine Spectator, November 2004
Bodegas Muga - ‘Prado Enea’ Gran Reserva 1995
Region: Rioja – Rating: 94 – ‘Suave, gripping, highly complex’
COMPOSITION: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano
TASTING NOTES: ‘Medium brick-edged red. Knockout nose combines raspberry, currant, tobacco, smoke and tar, along with more exotic hints of dried fruits. A real essence of Rioja in the mouth: plum, dried berries, tar, coconut and smoky oak. Suave, gripping, firmly structured and highly complex. Very ripe and very long on the aftertaste. 94 Points.’ -Steven Tanzer
Region: Campo de Borja – Rating: 93 - 'spectacular'
COMPOSITION: 100% Garnacha
TASTING NOTES: “The estate’s mid-level effort is the fairly priced Alto Moncayo. This wine is spectacular, and represents the perfect foil for grilled steak. The 2003 Alto Moncayo (aged in new French and American oak, and bottled unfiltered) boasts an inky/ruby/purple hue as well as a sweet perfume of blackberries and toasty oak, an opulent, fleshy, fruity palate, plenty of muscle and potency, and a long, heady, silky finish. It should drink well for 6-10 years. 93 points.” --- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate