Tava mmmm good

[szwald]

I am scared of EVERYTHING, include offal and believe it or not lamb. I love me some pheasant, duck, deer and the occasional rabbit (which really I thought were my pets that kept getting eaten by the foxes- THANKS GRANDPA!)... and my poor husband LOVES lamb. It has always just grossed me out, until this recipe:

tava (Cypriot baked lamb & potatoes with cumin & tomatoes)

2 lbs leg of lamb, cut into chunks

2 red onions, chopped roughly

2 carrots, chopped

3 small sweet potatoes, chopped

4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 heaps tablespoons cumin or cumin seeds

1/2 cup olive oil

4-5 ripe tomatoes, cut into thick slices

3.5 tbs clarified butter or coconut oil (not liquid)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F.

Put the onion, sweet potato, carrot and lamb in a casserole dish or deep baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the parsley, cumin and olive oil and mix through very well with your hands.

Put the tomato slices on top in a single layer and season lightly with salt.

Dot the butter/coconut oil over the top and pour about 1/2 cup of water around the sides of the dish.

Cover with foil or lid and bake for 2 hours, tilting the dish from side to side and spooning some of the pan juices over the top.

After 2 hours, remove the foil/lid and increase oven temperature to 200°C/400°F and cook for another 45 minutes or so, turning the lamb once or twice, until the meat and potatoes are a little browned and the liquid has reduced. Note: after two hours it still looks quite wet but the 45 minutes without the lid reduced the liquid quite substantially so don't worry!

Its LOVELY and does not have that weird greasy lamb taste AT ALL. Finally a happy non-paleo husband!