Paula Wolfert's Lamb Mechoui = Delicious

Yesterday, I headed to my favorite store for some golden raisins.  While there, I asked if they had any lamb. I was surprised when they answered yes. I came home with lamb and couscous, which I had not intended on buying.  I asked the butcher to leave the ribs intact and would roast it this evening in the oven.  I pulled out Paula Wolfert's book, The Food of Morocco, and found a recipe for a meat rub.  I scaled mine down because I only had a few pounds of meat to roast, actually it was ribs.  I really like the flavor a lot and will be making this more often.  I will let Paula know how much I like her recipe too. 

Ingredients:

3 lbs of lamb, trim excess fat

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 TBS unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin  

1 tsp sweet paprika

3 garlic cloves, chopped and crushed to a paste with 1 Tsp salt

For Serving:

Coarse sea salt and ground cumin, preferably Moroccan

Blend all of the ingredients except the coarse sea salt and cumin for serving.  I used my pedestal and mortar to blend all of the ingredients. I added the garlic and salt and then the rest of the ingredients.  Once blended, rub into the meat and let it marinate for about 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Place the meat with the fatty side up in the roasting pan.  Place on the middle rack and let it cook for about 15 minutes.  Then turn the temperature down to 300 degrees.  Since my meat was only a few pounds it only took about 2 - 2 1\2 hours to cook. I turned it over half way through the cooking process.  Baste it every 15 minutes with the pan juices.  It should be golden brown, crispy on the outside, and very tender, to almost falling off the bone.  Serve this with a salad and crispy bread.  Enjoy!  Thanks Paula!