Roasted Lamb with Charmoula

January 18th, 2008

Charmoula is a Middle Eastern herb and garlic sauce. I found that it yielded a great deal of flavor beyond its modest preparation time. I used a whole lamb roast but you can also use lamb chops if you prefer. Make the charmoula in advance and marinade the lamb the night before if possible so that the spices are well-absorbed into the meat prior to cooking. I served this with homemade taboule, hummus , and pita and it made for a wonderfully complete Mideastern meal!

Serves 4

Charmoula
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup (lightly packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (lightly packed) fresh cilantro leaves
2 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika or sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Lamb
1 small lamb roast or 8 lamb chops
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

For charmoula:
Add cumin seeds, parsley leaves and next 6 ingredients to processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarse paste forms. With machine running, gradually add 4 tablespoons oil. Transfer 2 tablespoons charmoula to small bowl; whisk in lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cover and chill to serve with lamb.

For lamb:
Transfer remaining charmoula to large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb; seal bag and turn to coat well. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Let lamb and charmoula sauce in bowl stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place rack on prepared baking sheet. Place lamb on rack and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until thermometer inserted into center registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 13 minutes. Transfer lamb to platter. Tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes.
Serve lamb with a spoonful of Charmoula on top and enjoy.

Adapted from Epicurious.com with some slight variations.

Related Posts:
Wine Blogging Wednesday #56: Fine Kosher Wine

Rack of Lamb with a Cumin and Salt Crust, Lemon and Cilantro

Slow-Cooked Rack of Lamb

Filed under Kosher Recipes, Lamb, Recipes | Comments (5)

5 Responses to “Roasted Lamb with Charmoula”

  1. Dan on January 20, 2008 12:08 am

    Thanks for the recipe. I made this tonight and it was terrific. I really liked the charmoula sauce and can see it working with chicken breasts too.

  2. RichardA on January 20, 2008 10:05 am

    The Charmoula sauce definitely intrigues me and I hope to try it soon.

  3. Erika on January 21, 2008 1:33 pm

    @Dan- I agree! I was thinking veal too.

  4. Kathleen on January 25, 2008 2:26 pm

    Lovely recipe! Do you have a suggestions for a wine pairing?
    Kathleen

  5. Erika Strum on January 26, 2008 6:02 pm

    @Kathleen. You know, I believe we had it with a California Cab but I actually think a Rhone would be better. You need something that can pick up some of that spice!

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