Guest Author - Denise Hart

Cordero Asado al Horno (Roast Marinated Lamb)

''Spain is a country for meat lovers''. You will see this quoted at
many sites dedicated to everything Spanish, and I have to say that it is
true. There are Spanish recipes to cater for nearly all parts of animals
- intestines, brain and feet often included! Lamb - Cordero - is a
popular, if expensive meat, prepared in a variety of ways from barbecues to
stews. This recipe is for oven-roasted leg of lamb, one of my personal
favourites and very popular in restaurants. For this recipe you will
need a mortar and pedistal, an indispensible part of any Spanish kitchen,
or something similar, in order to make the paste for the meat.


Ingredients for 4 people

1.5 kg leg of lamb
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large potatoes, cut into small squares
1 small red pepper, roughly chopped
1 small green pepper, roughly chopped
1 large onion, sliced
100ml good quality olive oil
100ml brandy

Method


1. Mix the garlic and salt (adjust amount to suit your taste) together
in a mortar or small bowl.

2. Add the oregano and parsley and grind to a paste.

3. Coat the lamb well with the paste, place it in the fridge and leave
to marinade for 3 to 4 hours.

4. Once the meat has marinated, preheat the oven to 200C or Gas mark 6.

5. Place the meat in a large, deep roasting tin, arrange the vegetables
around the meat and drizzle with the olive oil, msking sure that
everything is well coated.

6. Place in the oven and allow to cook for at least 60 - 90 minutes,
depending on how well-done you like your meat.

7. Add the brandy to the juices for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

8. Keep the vegetables warm and allow the meat to stand for 10 minutes
before carving.

9. Transfer the meat to a serving dish, arrange the vegetables around
the meat and pour the juices over.

Note: The vegetables in this recipe are supposed to be very
well-cooked, even a little burned! However, if you prefer, you can roast them
separately, but then they will not absorb the flavour of the meat juices.
Another alternative is to add them, already roasted, for the last 20
minutes of cooking, along with the brandy.