I fell in love with lamb shawarmas way back when I lived in Paris. After a gruelling 12-14 hour day of cooking, I would stop off in the Latin Quarter and devour one of these before crashing. Something about the juicy meat, the tang of the yogurt, the spice, the salt – I dunno – it just hit the spot after a physically and mentally draining day/night.
Yes, it helps if you have a rotisserie at home but if not, you can simply roast a leg of lamb in the oven with minimal effort. I make my own flatbread, but toasted/grilled lavash or even naan can be substituted. And french fries are definitely a must. Don’t ask me why. I just need french fries with this sandwich. In Paris they roll the french fries into the shawarma for a really delicious hearty bite. Yum.
I like to add Persian Mast o’ Khiar and I’ll post the full recipe in the next post. It’s a super tasty yogurt-dill-cucumber dip that goes great with meat but, it can also be scooped up with flat bread and eaten all on it’s own.
Ingredients
- Cloves from 1 head of garlic
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked hot paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 5-pound leg of lamb debonned, trimmed and tied for the spit or for roasting
- Grilled flatbread
- Yogurt mixed with dill (or real Maast o' Khiar, see following recipe)
- Sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion for serving
Cut the larger garlic cloves in half. Make 1/2-inch deep slits all over roast with the tip of a sharp but narrow knife and stick the cloves into the slits. In a bowl stir in the lemon juice, paprika, cumin and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
Put the lamb on a rimmed baking sheet (especially if roasting in the oven) and rub with the spice mix. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use allowing it to marinade overnight if desired.
If roasting, heat oven to 425˚F or if using a rotisserie, light the burners and set lamb leg on the spit using the prongs to lock it in place. Roast until the thickest part registers 130° for medium meat. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Slice leg of lamb thinly when ready to ensemble.
Layer sliced lamb in soft flat bread with cucumber, tomato and red onion and slather with yogurt-dill sauce. Serve with french fries. Devour...
