Spain is famous for its magnificent roast lamb. this is especially true in the region of castile, which has an honored tradition of preparing some of the best roast lamb on the planet. it is impossible to fully recreate the taste of castilian roast lamb in america, unless you could import very young lamb directly from castile. this is true because the taste of lamb is so dependent on what the lamb eats, and on the size and age of the lamb. spanish sheep and lambs often graze on pasture that is rich with wild herbs, which impart a wonderful taste to the meat. even if the lamb is so young that it its almost totally milk fed, the milk would be heavily flavored by the herbs. the best lambs are very young and very small when they are processed. spanish lambs are so tender that they are traditionally carved with the edge of a plate. they are roasted simply, with few seasonings. even the best american grassfed lambs do not eat those wild herbs, and are not processed at such an early age. this recipe is based on the principle that if the herbs are not in the meat, bring the herbs to the meat....while you will need more than a plate to carve this roast, it is wonderfully tender.
-stanley a. fishman
