Cordero Asado (Castilian Roast Lamb)
Local name: Cordero asado
In short: Lamb shoulder slow-roasted with garlic, white wine and bay until it pulls from the bone, finished hot and browned over potatoes cooked in the juices. It takes about 3 h 25 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 3 h
- Resting
- 15 min
- Total
- 3 h 25 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 530 kcal
Roast lamb is the centerpiece of Christmas, Easter and big family lunches in Castile, where milk-fed lamb, called lechazo, is roasted in a wood-fired oven in a clay dish with little more than salt and water. This home version uses lamb shoulder, garlic and white wine, cooked low and slow until the meat pulls from the bone, then browned. Potatoes roast in the juices underneath.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Pat the lamb dry. Make deep cuts across the meat with a small knife and push a garlic sliver into each. Rub with 2 tbsp of the oil, 1 1/2 tsp of the salt, the pepper and thyme.
- Spread the onions, halved garlic and bay leaves in a large roasting pan. Set the lamb on top and pour in the wine and water. Cover tightly with foil.
- Roast for 2 hours. Remove the foil and spoon the pan juices over the lamb.
- Toss the potatoes with the remaining oil and salt and arrange them around the lamb. Raise the oven to 200°C (400°F) and roast, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes, turning the potatoes once, until the lamb is deep brown and the potatoes are golden.
- Rest the lamb on a board, loosely covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Skim the fat from the pan juices.
- Pull the meat into large pieces or carve it. Serve with the potatoes, onions and juices, and a green salad.
Tips
- The lamb is safe at 63°C (145°F), but shoulder needs to reach about 90°C (195°F) before the meat turns tender enough to pull from the bone.
- A bone-in leg works too, though it will be leaner. Cut the roasting time by about 30 minutes and baste it more often with the pan juices.
Questions and answers
Can I prepare roast lamb a day ahead?
Roast the lamb covered for the first 2 hours, then chill it in its juices. The next day, add the potatoes and finish at 200°C (400°F) until browned and hot.
What is lechazo?
Lechazo is milk-fed lamb, a few weeks old, roasted in wood-fired ovens in Castile. It is mild and tender. Ordinary lamb shoulder needs a longer, slower cook to reach the same softness.
What do you serve with Castilian roast lamb?
A simple salad of lettuce, onion and a little oil and vinegar is traditional. Roast potatoes in the pan juices round out the meal.
How long does it take to make Cordero Asado (Castilian Roast Lamb)?
About 3 h 25 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 3 h of cooking.
How many calories are in Cordero Asado (Castilian Roast Lamb)?
About 530 kcal per serving, with 37 g of protein, 33 g of carbohydrates and 28 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 530 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 37 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Fat | 28 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Sodium | 900 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
