Lamb is a staple meat of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Caucuses cuisine. It can be marinated in a dazzling array of spices from the common place like oregano and rosemary to the exotic like cardamom, bayberry and sassafras. Each culture has a secret blend of spices. I have asked some of my Afghan, Tadjik and Georgian friends for the recipe for their family spice blends, but they preferred to give me a resealable bag of their homemade mix for my private use. That isn't going to help you very much, is it?

Here is a simple and really tasty marinade and technique for fabulous leg of lamb.

Lamb Ala Simon and Garfunkel
(Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme)

This is not a joke; I was contemplating how to cook a leg of lamb for my brother-in-law who really loves lamb. I love marinated lamb and lamb loves marinade. The famous song came on the radio and I started to sing along while looking through my spices. Then it came to me like the "Big W" in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World".

First of all, get a boneless leg of lamb. I like it much better because it's easier to carve and you know how much actual meat you have per guest. Remove it from the packaging, including the net that sometimes wraps around it. Pat dry with paper towels and peel about a dozen large cloves of fresh garlic. Cut the garlic lengthwise into one-eighth inch slivers. With a vegetable knife, begin the process of Spiking" the lamb with the garlic. To do this, Stick the knife about half way into the meat and with your other hand, slide the garlic spike into the hole along the knife blade. Repeat this process, until the lamb has been thoroughly implanted with garlic spikes. This may be a little labor intensive, but if you cut up the spikes all at once, it will go pretty fast. This will impart a luxurious roasted garlic flavor to the meat. It is worth the work.

In a resealable bag add a cup of unflavored yogurt, the juice of one fresh lemon, a nice palmful each of dried Parsley, sage, rosemary and Thyme. Add a tablespoon of kosher or sea salt and a teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Mix this in the bag and check for flavor. You might want more salt or lemon. Remember this is a marinade, so it's OK if it's a little salty. For good measure, add another six cloves of crushed garlic.

Now put your boneless leg of lamb in your bag and wrap it tight with as little air in the bag as possible, so the marinade gets into every little crevice. Let set in your refrigerator overnight.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place your lamb spread out on the rack. In approximately 1 hour, you should have a juicy medium boneless leg of lamb that is succulent and easy to carve

Serve with some roasted Yukon Gold or fingerling potatoes and lightly blanched asparagus tips. Pair this with a nice Bordeaux, like a Cotes de Castillon, "Then you'll be a true friend of mine".

Learn more about this author, Ted Onulak.
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