Albania

No need for anything fancy. I’m just using about a pound of lamb meat diced into bite-sized cubes.

A lot of traditional Albanian cooking uses clay pots over an open flame, but I’m making do with my trusted dutch oven and stovetop. You will need a lidded pot for these first steps as the mixture needs to simmer for a bit.

Start with one tablespoon each of olive oil and butter on a medium heat. Once everything is nice and hot, add the lamb cubes in small batches, making sure each piece has its own room. Leave each piece where it is for a couple of minutes, then flip. The lamb does not have to be cooked thoroughly at this point since it’s going into a baking dish later. We’re just looking for that oh-so-sexy Maillard browning reaction.

After all your meat batches have been seared on all sides, return all the meat to your pot. Add your rice. The ratio for rice is 2:1 water to rice, so I’m adding 1/4 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of water. As soon as the water hits the pot, take this time to quickly scrape up all that beautiful fond (the brown residue on the bottom of the pot) to help flavor the rice. Switch the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes. This isn’t going to cook the rice all the way, but don’t worry, it’ll finish in the oven.

Once the ten minutes are up, turn off the heat and transfer the mixture into an oven-safe dish. Preheat the oven to  350°F

Now that the oven is preheating and your lamb/rice mixture is patiently awaiting in its baking dish, we will move on to the topper, starting with the roux. If you’ve never made a roux before, don’t panic, I’m here to walk you through it. Just note that you’ll have to clear your schedule and put your phone on silent, because roux and ONLY the roux will be what you are doing for the next couple of minutes.

Start with equal parts butter and all-purpose flour; in this case, I’m using 3 tablespoons each. In a separate saucepan on low heat, start melting the butter. Have your whisk in had and ready because as soon as the butter melts, you will have to whisk as if your life depends on it, because it DOES! Well, maybe your literal life doesn’t depend on it, but unless you want a lumpy, burned slop, whisk. WHISK LIKE THE WIND!

Once the butter is melted, slowly add the flour as you beat the mixture like it owes you money. Remember, do NOT stop whisking! Luckily, we’re only going for a blonde roux, so once the mixture has a light golden hue and smells rich, toasted, and nutty, remove the sauce from the heat to cool as we gather our next ingredients.

Ideally, you want just enough yogurt to cover your meat base. In this case I’m using 2 eggs and 2 cups plain Greek yogurt ( mine happens to be fat-free, but you do you.)

Combine the eggs and yogurt, then fold in the roux until everything is combined.

Pour the yogurt mixture on top of the lamb base and pop it in the oven. The yogurt will puff up to about double its size in the oven, so don’t freak out, that’s supposed to happen. We are looking for a golden browning on top, which can take anywhere from 40-50 minutes, depending on your oven (mine took 55 minutes).

After it’s done, you’ll want to let it cool for 5-10 minutes, as it will be lava.

Now that that’s done. . .

I was pleasantly surprised by this meal. It’s very rich and filling with only a few ingredients. I notice the sharp tang of the yogurt balances out the earthy aromatics of the oregano and lamb quite perfectly. I had seen some recipes that added fresh ground nutmeg on top, which I did. The nutmeg did add that little bit extra to make this an all-around savory sensation. I would definitely eat this again!

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