Rotisserie Lamb Tacos with Apricot-Chipotle Baste

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 boneless leg of lamb, about 7 pounds
• Apricot-Chipotle Baste, recipe follows
• 1 pound goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 pound shredded romaine lettuce
• Salsa Cruda, recipe follows
• 16 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush the leg of lamb with oil, season with salt and pepper and place directly on the grill to brown on all sides, about 5 minutes each side. Remove leg and attach to rotisserie rod. Let the lamb cook on the rotisserie for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until just cooked to medium-rare doneness. During the last 20 minutes of grilling, begin basting with the glaze. Remove the lamb from the grill and baste again with the glaze and let rest for 20 minutes.

Slice the lamb across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Serve folded in warm tortillas with shredded romaine, goat's cheese, charred corn guacamole and tomato salsa.

Apricot-Chipotle Baste:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large red onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

4 cups red wine vinegar

3 cups sugar

1/2 pound dried apricots, soaked for 1/2 hour in warm water and chopped

2 tablespoons chipotle pepper puree

Preheat grill or use side-burners of grill. In a saucepan combine oil, onion, garlic, vinegar and sugar. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the vinegar is reduced by half. Add chopped apricots and cook for 10 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a food processor and add chipotles. Puree until smooth. Return to pot. Use to baste rotisserie leg of lamb.

Salsa Cruda:

6 large tomatoes, diced

1/2 large red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped (recommended: Mexican oregano)

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1 lime, juiced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

Charred Corn Guacamole

2 ears corn

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

1 red onion finely diced

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove the outer husk from the corn and loosen the silks without removing. Dunk into water and place directly onto a hot grill for 15 minutes. Remove from grill. Remove remaining husks and silks and cut the kernels off of the cob.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 8 servings