Roasted Kid Goat (Cabrito al Horno)
A quarter of a young goat seasoned with fines herbes, roasted at 200°C and basted with water and white wine every fifteen minutes. Just over an hour, and it feeds eight.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 1279kcal
Ingredients
- ¼ kid goat (cabrito) about 1.5 to 2 kg: see the notes
- 1 glass water plus more for basting
- 1 glass white wine plus more for basting
- Fines herbes the classic mix of parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Season the goat all over with salt and pepper and rub the fines herbes into it.
- Put it on a roasting tray, pour over a glass of water and a glass of white wine, and put it into an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F).
- Roast for about 25 minutes, basting it with the liquid in the tray every 15 minutes.
- Take it out, turn it over, add another splash of water and wine, and put it back for a further 25 to 35 minutes, basting again as it goes. It is done when the meat pulls away easily from the bone and the juices run clear.
- Serve it with cassava, potatoes or rice.
Notes
This is cabrito, a milk-fed kid, not an adult goat, and the difference decides whether the recipe works. A whole kid weighs between five and eight kilos, so a quarter is around a kilo and a half to two, and that roasts through in about an hour. A quarter of an adult goat is four or five kilos of much tougher meat and would need three hours at a lower temperature. Basting is the whole technique. Kid is very lean and dries out fast at 200°C, and the water and wine in the tray are there to be spooned back over it every fifteen minutes. Keep some in reserve, because the tray will dry out before the meat is done. Judge it by the meat rather than the clock. It is ready when it comes away from the bone without resistance and the juices run clear rather than pink. An oven thermometer reading around 70°C at the thickest part says the same thing. Let it rest for ten minutes before carving.
Nutrition
Calories: 1279kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 75g | Fat: 106g | Saturated Fat: 46g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 44g | Cholesterol: 331mg | Sodium: 564mg | Potassium: 1008mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 7mg