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
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cordero lechal (milk-fed lamb, about 5 to 6 kg), butterflied at the spine
- 60 g pork lard, softened
- 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 300 ml water
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed (optional, Segovian purists omit)
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- 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.
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.