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1
Marinate the Kid Overnight
Overnight (12 Hrs)
Refrigerator, 4°C (40°F)
Rub the adobo paste all over the kid pieces, working it into the cuts, and set them in a large dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, at least 12 hours. Turn the pieces once if you think of it. Kid goat is very lean, and the overnight marinade is what seasons it through and keeps it from drying out in the oven.
Do not skip the overnight rest — a two-hour marinade flavours only the outside, while twelve hours lets the garlic, cumin and sour orange reach the bone.
Done when: The meat is evenly coated and smells of garlic, cumin and citrus all the way through.
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2
Bring to Room Temperature & Heat the Oven
30 Mins
Oven 200°C (400°F)
Take the kid out of the fridge 30 minutes before roasting so it loses its chill — cold meat in a hot oven cooks unevenly. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Lay the potatoes in a large roasting tray, drizzle with half the olive oil, and set the kid pieces on top, skin-side up. Pour the remaining marinade and half the white wine into the tray.
A cold roast in a hot oven seizes up and turns tough; thirty minutes on the bench makes a real difference to tenderness.
Done when: The meat no longer feels fridge-cold, and the oven is fully up to temperature.
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3
Roast Covered
60 Mins
Oven 200°C (400°F)
Cover the tray tightly with foil and roast for 60 minutes. The foil traps the steam from the wine and marinade, and the kid cooks through gently instead of drying out. Meanwhile cook the rice in salted water until fluffy, and keep it warm.
Resist lifting the foil to peek — every lift lets the steam out and adds minutes to the cook.
Done when: The meat is pale and steaming when you lift the foil, and the potatoes are half-cooked.
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4
Uncover, Baste & Roast On
60 Mins
Oven 200°C (400°F)
Take off the foil, turn the kid pieces over, and spoon the pan juices over them. Roast uncovered for 60 minutes more, basting with the remaining white wine every 20 minutes. The skin should turn deep golden and crisp at the edges while the meat underneath stays juicy.
Basting is the whole technique: kid has almost no fat to keep it moist, so the wine in the tray is there to be spooned back over the meat again and again.
Done when: The skin is crisp and golden, the meat pulls away from the bone with no resistance, and the juices run clear.
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5
Crisp the Skin & Rest
20 Mins
Oven 220°C (425°F), then rest at room temperature
Turn the oven up to 220°C (425°F) for the last 10 minutes if the skin needs more colour, watching it closely so the panela in the marinade does not burn. Check the thickest part with a thermometer — it should read at least 74°C (165°F). Lift the goat onto a board, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 10 minutes so the juices settle back into the meat.
Cutting into the roast straight from the oven lets all the juices run out onto the board; ten quiet minutes keeps them in the meat.
Done when: The thermometer reads at least 74°C (165°F) at the thickest point, and the meat rests without losing juice.
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6
Carve & Serve at the Table
10 Mins
Serve hot, above 74°C (165°F)
Carve the kid into serving pieces and arrange them on a platter with the roast potatoes. Spoon the pan juices over everything, and serve with the white rice, the lettuce and tomato salad, and a warm arepa santandereana, plus Colombian aji for those who want heat.
Serve the pan juices in a small jug on the table — a spoonful over the rice is the best part of the meal.
Done when: Each plate has crisp-skinned goat, golden potatoes, rice and salad, all steaming hot.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Carve the kid at the table and serve with the roast potatoes, white rice and a crisp salad — spoon the pan juices over the rice, and pass the Colombian aji for those who want heat.
Colombia
2h
