Young carrots, no thicker than a finger and often not much longer, appear in the shops in late spring, their bushy leaves intact. Often, they have a just-picked air about them, their tiny side roots, as fine as hair, still fresh and crisp. At this stage they lack the fiber needed to grate well, and boiling does them few favors. They roast sweetly, especially when tucked under the roast. The savory meat juices form a glossy coat that turns the carrot into a delectable little morsel. I have used a leg of lamb here but in fact any cut would work—a shoulder or loin, for instance. The spice rub also works for chicken.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the lamb in a roasting pan. Peel the garlic and put it into a food processor with the cumin seeds, mint leaves, and lemon juice. Add a generous grinding of salt and some black pepper. Process to a coarse paste, adding enough olive oil to make a spreadable slush, thick enough to cling to the lamb.
Step 2
Massage the roast well with the spice paste, spreading it over the skin and into the cut sides of the flesh. Set aside in a cool place (preferably not the fridge) for an hour, basting occasionally with any of the paste that has run off.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Scrub the carrots and beets. If they are small, you can probably get away with a rinse. Either way, be careful with their skins, which are tender at this point in their life. Put the meat in the oven and roast for forty-five minutes to an hour, tucking the vegetables in around it after twenty minutes. The cooking time for the lamb will depend on how you like it done; forty-five minutes should give you a roast that is still pink and juicy inside. Remove from the oven and rest the meat for a good ten to fifteen minutes before carving and serving with the mint béarnaise below.
Step 4
If you want to make a gravy, transfer the meat and carrots to a warm place, put the roasting pan over medium heat, then pour in a large glass of wine or stock, or even water, and bring it to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping away at the pan to dissolve any stuck-on meat juices. Let the gravy bubble a little, check it for seasoning (it may need salt and pepper), then keep it warm while you carve the lamb.
