Mechoui

Instructions

1. 1 Combine the softened butter with the crushed garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, olive oil, and a generous amount of salt, mixing until you have a smooth, evenly coloured spice paste.
2. 2 Using a sharp knife, make deep incisions all over the lamb shoulder, spacing them about three centimetres apart. Push portions of the spice butter deep into each cut, ensuring the seasoning penetrates well into the meat.
3. 3 Spread the remaining spice butter evenly over the entire surface of the lamb. Place the shoulder in a large roasting pan and cover tightly with aluminium foil, sealing the edges to trap steam inside.
4. 4 Roast the lamb in a preheated oven at one hundred and fifty degrees Celsius for four hours, removing the foil every hour to baste the meat with the accumulated pan juices, then resealing each time.
5. 5 After four hours, remove the foil completely and increase the oven temperature to two hundred degrees Celsius. Roast uncovered for thirty more minutes until the exterior becomes deeply browned and the fat renders into a crispy crust.
6. 6 Test the lamb by pressing with tongs; it should be so tender that the meat pulls apart easily from the bone with no resistance. If not yet falling apart, cover and continue roasting at the lower temperature.
7. 7 Let the lamb rest for fifteen minutes loosely covered with foil. Transfer to a large serving platter and place small bowls of ground cumin mixed with salt alongside for dipping, in the traditional Mauritanian style.
8. 8 Serve family-style, allowing diners to pull pieces of the tender spiced lamb directly from the bone with their hands or forks. Accompany with warm crusty bread and a simple salad of tomatoes and onions.