Mechoui with herbs (roasted lamb)

Serves 8
7 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
7 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
300g unsalted butter, softened
4 garlic cloves, finely crushed
2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoon ground white pepper
3kg Lamb shoulder on the bone, cut by your butcher into 8 approximately 350gr pieces
100ml olive or vegetable oil
200ml plus 3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoon cornflour or potato flour
(optional) raisins for garnish
fleur de sel for finishing touch

1 Salt and pepper the lamb pieces. Preheat the oven to 180C. (350F). Set aside 2 teaspoon of coriander and 2 teaspoon of parsley for garnish. Mix the butter with the garlic, remaining coriander, parsley, thyme, cumin and paprika. Rub this all over the lamb pieces.

2 Put the lamb on a roasting dish brushed with the oil. Add the 200ml of water to the dish and pop it in the oven for 35 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so, turn the pieces of lamb so that they brown evenly. Then lower the heat to 150C (300F). Cover the lamb with foil and pop it back into the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until the lamb is soft and tender. After the first 30-40 minutes, try and quickly turn the pieces.

3 Remove the meat from the oven, keep it aside and covered with foil. Try to remove the fat from the meat juices and pour the juices into a small pan. In a separate bowl, mix the 3 tablespoons of water with the cornflour or potato flour before adding it to the juices. Reduce the sauce over high heat for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring. Before serving, sieve it once.

4 To serve, drizzle the sauce over the meat and garnish with coriander and parsley. Top with some raisins if you want and finish off with a tiny touch of fleur de sel.