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Ternasco de Aragón asado
Roast young lamb with potatoes
Ternasco asado: Aragon's roast young lamb with potatoes, garlic and rosemary
Ternasco is the young, milk-and-grass-fed lamb of Aragon, and roasting it in a wood oven with potatoes is how families in Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel celebrate Sunday lunches, christenings and Christmas Day. The meat is pale, tender and mild, and the potatoes underneath cook in its juices with garlic, wine and herbs until golden and soft. This uses white wine; swap it for water with a squeeze of lemon if you prefer no alcohol. A common mistake is roasting too hot: young lamb dries out quickly, so keep the oven moderate and baste often. Chef's tip: ask your butcher to cut a shoulder or a leg of young lamb into large pieces through the bone; more surfaces brown, and it cooks evenly.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 4 lb young lamb shoulder or leg, on the bonecut into 6 to 8 large pieces
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 2 ¼ lb waxy potatoespeeled and sliced 1 cm thick
- 1 onionsliced
- 6 clove garliccrushed in their skins
- 2 sprig rosemary
- 3 sprig thyme
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup dry white wineor 150 ml water with 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¾ cup water
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Take 4 lb young lamb shoulder or leg, on the bone out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking and rub it all over with 2 tsp coarse salt. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
Step 2: Spread 2 ¼ lb waxy potatoes and 1 onion in a large roasting tin, add 6 clove garlic, 2 sprig rosemary and 3 sprig thyme, and toss with half the 2 ½ tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Step 3: Lay the lamb pieces on top, skin side down, drizzle with the rest of the 2 ½ tbsp olive oil and pour ¾ cup dry white wine and ¾ cup water into the tin around them.
Step 4: Roast for 45 minutes, basting twice with the pan juices. Turn the lamb skin side up, baste again and add a splash of water if the tin looks dry.
45 minStep 5: Roast for another 45 to 55 minutes, until the skin is crisp and deep golden, the potatoes are soft and browned at the edges, and the meat is tender enough to pull from the bone. The thickest piece should read at least 145°F at the bone; for the traditional soft, well-done texture, aim for about 167°F.
50 minStep 6: Rest the lamb in the tin, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before serving with the potatoes and juices and a green salad.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ternasco de Aragón asado take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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