Roasted Lamb Shawarma

There was a fantastic deal on leg of lamb, so I carved it up into four pieces to experiment.  The first one, a slow-cooker recipe, didn't go so well.  Fatty cuts of lamb work that way, but not the leaner leg.  Second attempt is this heavily marinated shawarma.

Most recipes I found had similar ingredient lists.  I had almost every spice on hand, except I had run out of turmeric.  First time buying fenugreek, though.  I had to look up what it was, and apparently it's very good for you.  There are herbal supplements of it, especially for women.  Fine, I'll start adding it to more recipes, and probably my chai mix.  It has a faintly maple aroma.  I have also started planning to add it to this winter's herb garden.  Supposedly, you can do that in zones 10 and above.

Once I started assembling the spices on the counter, I realized that this marinade puts most curry recipes to shame.  Then I put several "sweet" spices back and subbed in allspice.  I wouldn't stress out about finding everything on the list, or subbing ground versions where I used the seed.  Both star anise and fennel was probably overkill.

I'm combining several techniques.  Pan-toasting the whole spices first is from one recipe, whizzing them up into a marinade is from another.  It's a similar approach to a satay marinade, which can be subtly flavorful without overpowering.

*1 to 1-1/2 lb cut from a leg of lamb. (for a full leg, double marinade)
1/4 tsp each *coriander seed, fenugreek seed, *fennel seed, *cumin seed
Seeds from 2 *cardamom pods
*1/2 star anise
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, *ground pepper, *allspice, *paprika
1/4 tsp each *sumac and turmeric
2 tsp kosher salt
*1/2 tsp grated ginger
*1 clove garlic, chopped
*2 Tb diced red onion or shallot
1 Tb lemon juice
3 Tb olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, cut in 1/2" thick slices

1.  In a small skillet, toast all of the seeds: coriander, fenugreek, fennel, cumin, cardamom, and star anise. Use a dry pan over medium-low heat and shake frequently.  It should take 2-3 minutes.

2.  Place all the marinade ingredients in the food processor or blender.  That's the spices you've just toasted, any remaining spices, salt, ginger, garlic, shallot, lemon juice, and oil.  Pulse at first so it doesn't explode, then run until fairly smooth.

3.  Line the bottom of a roasting pan with the thickly sliced onion.  If you need more, slice up the rest of it.  This is going to be the "rack" holding up the meat.

4.  In a bowl, coat the meat with the marinade.  If it's a boneless, coat inside where the bone was removed. This is why I was doing the recipe with lamb pieces, so there would be more surface for the marinade.  Set meat, fat side up, on top of the onion and pour any remaining marinade from the bowl on top.  Cover with foil or a lid and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

5.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350º.  Carefully pour boiling water into the edge of the roasting pan, just until it reaches the bottom of the meat.  Place covered roast in oven and cook until tender, at least 90 minutes for less than 2 lbs and up to 3 hours for a full leg.  Every hour or so, baste with juice from the bottom of the pan.  This may be the first time I've used my beat baster.  A gravy ladle works, too.  When meat is easily pulled apart with a fork, it is ready.

6.  Slice shawarma and serve with pita, rice, and/or veggies.

Difficulty rating  :)