2 inch long piece ginger fresh peeled thinly sliced
0.5 cup brown sugar packed ()
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
10 pounds lamb shoulder whole trimmed ()
6 tablespoons juice of lemon fresh
5 ounces cashew pieces raw
3 serrano chiles sliced into rounds
60 ounces whole-milk yogurt plain divided
0.3 cup vegetable oil
1.3 pounds onions white chopped
Equipment
bowl
frying pan
oven
plastic wrap
roasting pan
aluminum foil
Directions
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onions; sauté until golden, 14 minutes.
Add garlic and next 7 ingredients; stir 2 minutes. Scrape mixture into processor.
Add 4 cups yogurt. Blend until mixture is coarse puree; transfer to large bowl.
Mix in 2 cups yogurt and lemon juice.
Place 1 cup yogurt marinade in small bowl. Cover, chill, and reserve for topping.
Place 3 cups marinade in medium bowl; mix in remaining 1 1/2 cups yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Cover, chill, and reserve for sauce.
Place lamb in large roasting pan and shape into rectangle approximately 12x6 inches (some thin layers may overlap).
Sprinkle with 2 1/4 teaspoons salt; spread with half of remaining marinade. Carefully turn lamb over.
Sprinkle with remaining 2 1/4 teaspoons salt; spread with remaining marinade. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend almonds, cashews, sugar, salt, and 1 cup marinade reserved for topping in processor until nuts are coarsely chopped.
Remove plastic and scrape most of marinade off top of lamb. Cover pan with foil and roast lamb 1 1/2 hours. Uncover; spread nut topping evenly over. Roast lamb uncovered until topping is golden and lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
