Roast leg of goat – Tough (If you weren’t here for it).

roast-leg-of-goat-8-of-10“Is it not a bit tough?”, “I wouldn’t like the taste”, “The flavour might be a bit strong for me.” So were the comments when I announced I was planning to roast a leg of goat. I hate to have my cooking prejudged. It’s difficult enough to bear the postmortems. However, I am not impervious to the general mood, particularly when it tends towards the doom laden. I needed to make this goat tasty. I needed to demonstrate that I knew what I was at. I needed some inspiration. I settled on Roast Spiced Leg of Goat with Winter Vegetables. That would get them back on my side.

A nice range of spices and flavours. Goat leg to the front BTW.

A nice range of spices and flavours. Goat leg to the front BTW.

This takes a while to get the flavour into the meat. Start a day before you intend eating.

Ingredients

  • 1 goat leg
  • 2 teaspoons of Garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of palm sugar
  • Juice of a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • Carrots, parsnips and red onions for roasting

Mix the ingredients (except the vegetables) together.

This is a lovely spice blend. Not for the faint of heart.

This is a lovely spice blend. Not for the faint of heart.

Cut slashes across the flesh of the goat. Do this on both sides of the leg.

The slashes let flavour into the meat.

The slashes let flavour into the meat.

Rub the leg all over with the delicious spice mixture.

The spice mixture is highly aromatic and would work just as well with lamb.

The spice mixture is highly aromatic and would work just as well with lamb.

Place the goat in the fridge and leave to absorb the flavours for at least 8 and up to 24 hours. Roast, covered, in a 180ºC oven for one and three quarter to two hours or so. Check it for doneness after about an hour and a half.

The goat and vegetables add great flavour to the gravy.

The goat and vegetables add great flavour to the gravy.

Side note on vague descriptions on cooking times: I have applied a bit of psychology to this little bit of advice. I reckon that anybody who will have garam masala in the cupboard will know how to roast a leg of lamb. If you know how to roast a leg of lamb, you know how to roast a leg of goat. Good psychology or what?

After about an hour of roasting time, place the vegetables in the oven and roast them with the goat, uncovered. Boil some potatoes while you are at it. Take the goat and the vegetables out of the oven and let the goat rest. While it is resting, make a nice gravy from the pan juices.

It's a very juicy and tasty bit of meat.

It’s a very juicy and tasty bit of meat.

Carve the goat as you would do lamb. (I’m applying my psychology again here. Anybody who is prepared to roast a goat leg, will have experience of doing likewise with lamb.)

Truly tasty roast leg of goat. I encourage you to try it.

Truly tasty roast leg of goat. I encourage you to try it.

Serve it with the vegetables and gravy. We accompanied it with a nice, powerful Spanish red. While it is not as tender as spring lamb, it is not tough. The goat carries a lovely flavour. It is well worth doing. If the opportunity arises, seize it with both hands. Tough on you if you don’t.

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Latest comments
  • Love it! I had this in India once and what a feast. How nice to see those lovely spices

  • As you know, I’m already a convert to goat. This is a lovely treatment. Tough luck, indeed, that I wasn’t there to help eat it. Lx

  • I’m jealous and wish I had been there – the goat looks excellent!

      • Thanks Conor, that’s very kind!

  • That looks a lovely bit of young goat, like a hogget aged animal. I think some people have had bad experiences (1st, 2nd or 3rd hand) with seriously overcooked, rangy, geriatric animals, I agree, it is insulting that people would think you would foist a similar atrocity on them.

    I use a similar recipe (with the addition of yogurt) for mutton, leaving it for two days in the fridge; no mutton-sceptic has remained one.

  • Hahaha… Love the psychological deduction.

  • I’ve only ever had goat in a stew, and then not very often. But on seeing this beautiful roast I can’t imagine anyone could think it was anything but tender and delicious.

  • Beautifully done, Conor. I do enjoy roasted goat and your method sounds wonderful.

  • Had goat meat whilst in Pefkos in Rhodes. Blown away by how good it was. In flavour I thought it a taste between pork and lamb. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely not a meat to dismiss and your cooking of it is mouth-watering.

  • Wonderful Connor, “normal” food for us here of course and goat loves spices and yogurt of course. I keep it marinating in fridge for 2 days,,!!! and it will be beautifuly tender.

  • We love Goat … any kind of goat: tough, tender, good-bad-ugly … we could live on goat meat 🙂 And you’ve used exactly the same spices that we paint our goat-leg with!
    A darn delicious recipe!
    Va-va-voom pictures worth staring at <3

  • I miss living in northern NSW on the plateau… there was a local goat farm and the succulent nuggets of tender young goat they sold had to be tasted to be believed. People who think it’s strong/dry/tough are bonkers and want educating, something you’ve done nicely here.

  • Nice leg, Conor 🙂 I’ve never seen goat meat for sale here, but it’s about time to look for it.

      • I’ve looked into it and it appears that there are a lot of goats in NL, but most of the meat gets exported for lack of a domestic market. I’ve now found a goat farm in Amsterdam that sells meat so I’ll check that out on Saturday!

          • I’ve just posted my first ever recipe for goat. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

  • This roast looks so good! Love the root vegetables with it. 🙂

  • It looks very tender, for sure! However, I have garam masala in the cupboard and I can assure you I do not know how to roast a leg of lamb, ergo I do not know how to roast a leg of goat. Except of course now by reading your instructions. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen goat at the market here before too. But that shouldn’t surprise you seeing as I’m in the boondocks of the PNW US. Lovely recipe!

  • Marinating is a must with goat, me thinks, and what a lovely combination of flavours you chose. The finished plate looks divine. Do you know the age of the meat?
    Happy New Year Conor 🙂

      • Sure, if they’re castrated, and am sure he was or the flavour would be quite overbearing, we don’t notice a difference.
        I haven’t eaten meat since last April :O !! I could no longer bear the shop shite we have here and we had none of our own ready for the freezer for a few more months. By that time I had been meat free for so long I didn’t bother.
        When I see this post, I wonder why I am still holding out, seriously.
        Maybe you will try sous vide sometime? I’m still thinking that would be the ultimate way to prep goat, just a gut feeling. Cheers!

  • Happy New Year Conor. I’ve eaten a lot of goat while travelling, esp in India, I love both the flavour and texture, but I confess I’ve never prepared it myself. Need to correct that! I love your spicing treatment, I bet the aroma of roasting spices was wonderful

  • Like the marinade since most of mine all use yogurt and no palm sugar. Alas, since can buy goat only on line at prices to make one’s hair stand up on end [Mr Google says our prices have risen 30% in a year!] lamb will be substituted and enjoyed. Use garam masala almost daily so no problem there either. Never mind about weather or blog: the remaining meat is asking to be curried [no better ingredient for that!!] . . . actually don’t remember having had a goat tagine but there are SO many delightful goat curry variations from almost all the Indian provinces: yum!!!!

  • Looks awesome… and pardon me for this question, but what about the salt ?? when does the salt go in ? and does the salt make the meat dry if added along with the marinade ?

  • I’ve been reading (and drooling over) your blog for some time, Conor, and decided that one of my New Year’s resolutions should be to comment more often! 🙂

    I’ve only had goat in curries and have found it to be a mixed bag. I’m always a little nervous, as I am a bit wimpy when it comes to goat meat and goat cheese (hangs head in shame). Your roast looks amazing! Perhaps if I had access to the meat and the chef…

    I am a fan of roast leg of lamb and have Garam Masala in my cupboard, so I may need to try this treatment on lamb and work my way up.

  • This looks amazing – suddenly Zed’s future doesn’t look so good for him ,,,, although it looks pretty tasty for us 🙂

  • You know I’m a Philistine, so I don’t mind asking these questions- but no foil for the whole cooking time? Does that put it in danger of being tough, or does the marinating take care of that? Also, Happy New Ye-ee-ee-ear…

  • I have cooked goat curry but not roast it. Yours look divine.

    When I get my kitchen back, I have the urge to go through some of your recipes.

  • Happy New Year to you, Conor.

  • That red onion smack in the middle of your plate looks sweet! I have nominated you for the “Blogger Recognition Award”. You have an outstanding blog. Your colours are at times breathtaking! And, you know how GOOD your photos are! 💖 I hope you will accept the award. You need to go to my blog for details. simplysplendidfood.com. Thank you for having a great blog!

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