Butterflied Leg of Kid with Preserved Lemon

This recipe has it all: a bit of spice, a bit of sharpness, a bit of smoke, freshness from the herbs. It’s what BBQs were made to do. Serve with flatbreads or couscous, and chopped salad.

 

Serves 8

1 boned leg of kid, about 1.5kg/3¼lb, butterflied (see below, or ask your butcher to do this for you)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the marinade

juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons harissa paste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 bay leaves, torn

for the preserved lemon dressing

3 preserved lemons, rind only (discard the pulp)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

juice of ½ lemon

about 4 tablespoons finely chopped coriander (cilantro) and/or parsley

To butterfly the leg of kid, first place the boned leg on a board. Use a sharp knife to open out the leg following along the line of the muscles. You should see 3 distinct lines denoting the 3 muscles making up the whole leg. Cut along one of these: you want the outside meat of the leg to lie flat on the board. Cut away any excess sinew. Slash any thicker sections of muscle to give an even thickness across the whole slab of meat.

Lay a piece of cling film (plastic wrap) or parchment paper over the meat and firmly hit with a rolling pin to flatten it slightly.

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a wide dish, add the butterflied leg and turn to coat in the marinade. Season, cover with cling film and chill overnight in the fridge (or for up to 48 hours).

Preheat the barbecue and bring the meat back to room temperature.

Put the preserved lemon rind, oil and lemon juice into a small food processor. Blend to a coarse paste then stir through the chopped herbs.

Once the coals have turned grey, cook the butterflied leg for about 10 minutes on each side for nicely pink, or for longer for more well done meat, avoiding flare-ups and scorching as much as possible. Remove from the barbecue and smear the preserved lemon dressing all over the meat. Cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.