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Photo: Evan de Normandie
Active Time:20 minsTotal Time:1 hr 10 minsServings:4Jump to Nutrition Facts
Active Time:20 minsTotal Time:1 hr 10 minsServings:4
Active Time:20 mins
Active Time:
20 mins
Total Time:1 hr 10 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 10 mins
Servings:4
Servings:
4
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Jump to recipe
Dakar, Senegal, is one of several spots in the African Atlantic world where I have friends that I consider family. I journeyed there for the first time in 1972 on my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa and have visited frequently at different times of the year. As a now publicly acknowledged lover of markets, I have spent more than a few hours wandering in the town’s three main markets: Kermel, Tilène and Sandaga. Back in the 1970s when I first visited, Kermel was the market where the Europeans shopped, Sandaga was the big daddy of them all, and Tilène was the most traditionally African.
I will never forget one of my early excursions to Tilène when I spied people selling beautifully groomed rams and sheep decorated with bells and flowers as though in their holiday best. Imagine my surprise to be told that the animals were indeed in their holiday best. It was nearing Tabaski and they were being sold to serve as the main event.
Getty Images / JOHN WESSELS
Years later, after introducing a friend to the woman who would become his wife, I was gifted with a much-prized leg of lamb on Tabaski to honor that introduction. Every year, when Eid al-Adha arrives, I try to honor my Senegalese friends with a thought to my days in Dakar and a dinner featuring lamb.
I season my leg of lamb with spices that remind me of my trips there and elsewhere on the continent, like the cumin, garlic, and salt that perfumed the lamb eaten in a seaside restaurant outside of Dakar and the ras el hanout that reminds me of the fragrance of the spice stalls in the markets of Marrakech, Morocco. Try the recipe, below, for Tabaski or any special occasion. Eid Mubarak.
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)Ingredients1lamb shank (2-3 pounds), trimmed (see Tip)¼cupblood orange juice5largecloves garlic, divided½teaspooncumin2 ½teaspoonsras el hanout, divided (see Tip)1teaspoonsea salt4teaspoonsmixed peppercorns¼teaspooncoriander seeds¼teaspoonsgrains of paradise (optional; see Tip)
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
1lamb shank (2-3 pounds), trimmed (see Tip)
¼cupblood orange juice
5largecloves garlic, divided
½teaspooncumin
2 ½teaspoonsras el hanout, divided (see Tip)
1teaspoonsea salt
4teaspoonsmixed peppercorns
¼teaspooncoriander seeds
¼teaspoonsgrains of paradise (optional; see Tip)
DirectionsPreheat oven to 450°F. Rub lamb all over with blood orange juice. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make 7 or so small incisions in the leg, spacing them evenly. Slice 1 garlic clove into narrow slivers; set aside. Mince the remaining 4 garlic cloves. Combine the minced garlic with cumin and 1/2 teaspoon ras el hanout; mash together until you have a thick paste. Slip a bit of the paste into each of the incisions in the lamb along with the garlic slivers.Place salt, peppercorns, coriander seeds, grains of paradise (if using) and the remaining 2 teaspoons ras el hanout in a spice grinder; pulse until you have a coarse mixture. Rub the mixture all over the lamb, covering it evenly. Place the lamb in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 140-145°F for medium-rare, 30 to 45 minutes. Allow the lamb to rest for 15 minutes before carving.EquipmentRoasting pan with rackTipsLamb shanks are flavorful and easy to find, but can be small. To feed a larger crowd, ask your butcher for a bone-in leg of lamb or try a boneless leg of lamb. If using a larger cut of meat, double the spices and increase the cooking time at 350°F.A spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine, ras el hanout means “top of the shop” and, in Morocco, the blend varies according to the taste of the spice vendor. Look for it in the spice section of your grocery store or online.Grains of paradise, aka melegueta pepper (and not to be confused with malagueta pepper, which is a chile), is native to West Africa and is related to cardamom. It has a strong, peppery flavor with hints of citrus. Look for it at African markets or online.EatingWell.com, July 2021
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Rub lamb all over with blood orange juice. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make 7 or so small incisions in the leg, spacing them evenly. Slice 1 garlic clove into narrow slivers; set aside. Mince the remaining 4 garlic cloves. Combine the minced garlic with cumin and 1/2 teaspoon ras el hanout; mash together until you have a thick paste. Slip a bit of the paste into each of the incisions in the lamb along with the garlic slivers.Place salt, peppercorns, coriander seeds, grains of paradise (if using) and the remaining 2 teaspoons ras el hanout in a spice grinder; pulse until you have a coarse mixture. Rub the mixture all over the lamb, covering it evenly. Place the lamb in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 140-145°F for medium-rare, 30 to 45 minutes. Allow the lamb to rest for 15 minutes before carving.EquipmentRoasting pan with rackTipsLamb shanks are flavorful and easy to find, but can be small. To feed a larger crowd, ask your butcher for a bone-in leg of lamb or try a boneless leg of lamb. If using a larger cut of meat, double the spices and increase the cooking time at 350°F.A spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine, ras el hanout means “top of the shop” and, in Morocco, the blend varies according to the taste of the spice vendor. Look for it in the spice section of your grocery store or online.Grains of paradise, aka melegueta pepper (and not to be confused with malagueta pepper, which is a chile), is native to West Africa and is related to cardamom. It has a strong, peppery flavor with hints of citrus. Look for it at African markets or online.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Rub lamb all over with blood orange juice. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make 7 or so small incisions in the leg, spacing them evenly. Slice 1 garlic clove into narrow slivers; set aside. Mince the remaining 4 garlic cloves. Combine the minced garlic with cumin and 1/2 teaspoon ras el hanout; mash together until you have a thick paste. Slip a bit of the paste into each of the incisions in the lamb along with the garlic slivers.
Place salt, peppercorns, coriander seeds, grains of paradise (if using) and the remaining 2 teaspoons ras el hanout in a spice grinder; pulse until you have a coarse mixture. Rub the mixture all over the lamb, covering it evenly. Place the lamb in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 140-145°F for medium-rare, 30 to 45 minutes. Allow the lamb to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
EquipmentRoasting pan with rack
Equipment
Roasting pan with rack
TipsLamb shanks are flavorful and easy to find, but can be small. To feed a larger crowd, ask your butcher for a bone-in leg of lamb or try a boneless leg of lamb. If using a larger cut of meat, double the spices and increase the cooking time at 350°F.A spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine, ras el hanout means “top of the shop” and, in Morocco, the blend varies according to the taste of the spice vendor. Look for it in the spice section of your grocery store or online.Grains of paradise, aka melegueta pepper (and not to be confused with malagueta pepper, which is a chile), is native to West Africa and is related to cardamom. It has a strong, peppery flavor with hints of citrus. Look for it at African markets or online.
Tips
Lamb shanks are flavorful and easy to find, but can be small. To feed a larger crowd, ask your butcher for a bone-in leg of lamb or try a boneless leg of lamb. If using a larger cut of meat, double the spices and increase the cooking time at 350°F.A spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine, ras el hanout means “top of the shop” and, in Morocco, the blend varies according to the taste of the spice vendor. Look for it in the spice section of your grocery store or online.Grains of paradise, aka melegueta pepper (and not to be confused with malagueta pepper, which is a chile), is native to West Africa and is related to cardamom. It has a strong, peppery flavor with hints of citrus. Look for it at African markets or online.
Lamb shanks are flavorful and easy to find, but can be small. To feed a larger crowd, ask your butcher for a bone-in leg of lamb or try a boneless leg of lamb. If using a larger cut of meat, double the spices and increase the cooking time at 350°F.
A spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine, ras el hanout means “top of the shop” and, in Morocco, the blend varies according to the taste of the spice vendor. Look for it in the spice section of your grocery store or online.
Grains of paradise, aka melegueta pepper (and not to be confused with malagueta pepper, which is a chile), is native to West Africa and is related to cardamom. It has a strong, peppery flavor with hints of citrus. Look for it at African markets or online.
EatingWell.com, July 2021
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Nutrition Facts(per serving)228Calories8gFat3gCarbs34gProtein
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
