A milk-fed Castilian lamb roasted whole in a wood-fired clay oven — Segovia and Aranda de Duero's signature Easter dish. Pale, tender, and seasoned with almost nothing — water, salt, and lard let the milk-fed flavour speak.
Serves 6 to 8Prep 20 minCook 2 hr 30 min
What to ask for
This recipe calls for Cordero lechal. Can't get it where you are?
Ingredients & method
Ingredients
1/2 cordero lechal (milk-fed lamb, about 5 to 6 kg), butterflied at the spine
1Preheat the oven to 160 °C (320 °F). Use a large, deep clay or cast-iron roasting dish.
2Place the lamb skin-side down in the dish. Rub the flesh side generously with half the lard and season with half the salt.
3Add the water to the dish — it should reach about 1 cm depth — and tuck in the garlic if using.
4Roast for 60 minutes, basting every 20 minutes with the pan juices.
5Turn the lamb skin-side up. Spread with the remaining lard, season with the rest of the salt.
6Increase the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and roast a further 45 to 60 minutes until the skin is golden and crackling, the meat fork-tender.
7Rest 10 minutes. Carve into quarters and serve with the pan juices and lemon — Castilian tradition is to break the crackling with the side of a plate, not a knife.
Cook this well
$$ · roasts, smokers, and long cooks
Track a brisket overnight without opening the lid
Monitoring large cuts where opening the smoker or oven would cost heat.
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Chef's tip Cordero lechal is butchered young — the meat is pale, almost veal-like. Don't over-season; salt, fat, and water are the only seasonings needed.
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