Cabrito Assado

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large roasting pan or clay assadeira
• •Mortar and pestle
• •Sharp knife for incisions
• •Meat thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the garlic paste

   In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic with the coarse salt and peppercorns until you have a rough paste. Strip the leaves from two rosemary sprigs and add them, pounding until incorporated. This is the alho that will perfume every bite. The smell alone should make you hungry.

   A mortar gives you the right texture. A food processor makes it too smooth. You want the garlic to release its oils slowly as the meat roasts.
2. 2

   Prepare the cabrito

   Pat the meat completely dry with paper towels. Make deep incisions all over with a sharp knife, about 2 cm deep and spaced every 5 cm. Push the garlic paste into each incision, then rub the remaining paste all over the surface. Tuck bay leaves and the remaining rosemary sprigs into the cuts and around the meat. Drizzle generously with half the olive oil.

3. 3

   Rest the meat

   Cover loosely and let the cabrito sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight. The garlic needs time to penetrate. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature for an hour before roasting.

   The grandmothers in Beira prepare this the night before Easter. By morning the whole kitchen smells of garlic and rosemary. That's how you know it's ready.
4. 4

   Prepare the roasting pan

   Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Toss the potatoes and onion wedges with the remaining olive oil and scatter them in a large roasting pan or clay assadeira. Season with salt. Lay the thyme sprigs over the vegetables. They will catch all the drippings.

5. 5

   Begin roasting

   Place the cabrito directly on top of the potatoes. Pour the white wine around the edges, not over the meat. Cover tightly with foil. Roast for 1 hour. The covered stage allows the meat to braise gently in the wine steam while the garlic does its work.

6. 6

   Uncover and brown

   Remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Roast uncovered for another 1 to 1.5 hours, basting every 20 minutes with the pan juices. The meat should become deeply golden, the fat rendering and crisping at the edges. The potatoes underneath will turn golden and absorb the drippings.

   Don't skip the basting. Each time you open the oven, spoon those juices over the meat. This is what makes the outside caramelized while the inside stays tender.
7. 7

   Test for doneness

   The cabrito is ready when the meat pulls easily from the bone and the internal temperature reaches 75°C (165°F) in the thickest part. The outside should be mahogany brown, the fat crisped, the potatoes golden and soaked with drippings.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Transfer the cabrito to a wooden board and let it rest for 15 minutes. The juices need to redistribute. Arrange on a large platter with the roasted potatoes and onions around it. Pour any remaining pan juices over everything. Bring it to the table whole. This is a celebration dish. Let people see what's coming before you carve.

Chef Tips

• •Source your cabrito from a good butcher who can get young goat. The animal should be 4 to 6 weeks old, with pale pink meat. Older goat (cabra) is tougher and needs different treatment.
• •If you can find a clay assadeira, use it. The clay holds heat evenly and something about it improves the potatoes. My grandmother in Alentejo would say the clay remembers all the meals before.
• •Don't be afraid of the garlic. What seems like too much raw becomes mellow and sweet after hours of roasting. If you can still count the garlic cloves when you're done, you didn't use enough.
• •Save the bones for canja. Kid goat bones make a delicate broth that's nothing like chicken. It's what the grandmothers serve on the Monday after Easter, using every part of the animal.

Advance Preparation

• •The garlic paste can be made and rubbed into the meat up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate covered, then bring to room temperature before roasting.
• •This dish is best served immediately but will hold in a warm oven (100°C) for up to 30 minutes if needed.
• •Leftover cabrito makes excellent sandwiches the next day, the cold meat sliced thin with the crispy bits of garlic still clinging to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 330g)