Delicious hot or cold, perfect for a picnic or in pita sandwiches, this recipe, inspired by Indian Food Made Easy, serves 8-10.
2-1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, butterflied
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
1 small onion, diced
6 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tsp roughly chopped ginger root
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground fennel seed
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
Using paper towels, dry the lamb, and set aside. In a large nonreactive (glass or stainless steel) bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and mix well. Add the lamb, turn to coat, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 hours or up to 2 days.
To cook, heat a grill (gas or electric, or charcoal, or stovetop) on highest heat. While the grill is heating, take the lamb out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Wipe off all of the marinade, and discard. If necessary to create a uniform thickness (it usually is not), run some long metal skewers through the meat to hold it flat on the grill. When the grill is hot, cook the lamb for 10 minutes on each side. Then, remove the lamb from the grill and take its temperature with an instant-read thermometer; when the temperature registers 125F (for rare lamb), remove the meat from the grill. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The thicker parts will be rare; the thinner parts will be more well done.