Slow-roasted whole kid goat, marinated in white wine, garlic and rosemary, cooked until the skin crisps and the meat falls from the bone. The Easter centrepiece of the Minho table.

Roast kid is the defining meat of the Minho spring table, reaching its peak at Easter when the youngest animals from mountain farms arrive in Braga. The tradition of serving cabrito at Easter derives from the region's monastic heritage, when the Church's restrictions on meat during Lent broke at Easter with the seasonal roast. Arcoense in the Cividade neighbourhood has served it as its flagship dish since the 1970s, sourcing kid from the same farm families in the Peneda hills each season.

Where to eat Cabrito Assado (Roast Kid) in Braga

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Make it at home

Serves 44 hrEasy

Ingredients

  • 1 kid goat leg or shoulder, about 1.5kg (ask the butcher to score the skin)
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 200ml white wine
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1kg waxy potatoes, halved
  • 2 onions, cut in wedges

Method

  1. Combine garlic, white wine, olive oil, paprika, oregano, rosemary, chilli, salt and pepper to make the marinade.
  2. Score the skin of the kid in a crosshatch pattern to the bone. Rub the marinade all over and into the cuts. Marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
  3. Preheat oven to 160C. Place the kid in a roasting tin with onion wedges and a splash of water.
  4. Roast covered with foil for 2 hours. Uncover, add the potatoes around the meat, and return to the oven.
  5. Raise heat to 200C and roast uncovered for a further 45 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crisp.
  6. Rest 15 minutes before serving with the roasting juices spooned over.

Editor tip. Kid goat needs longer and lower cooking than lamb; rushing the temperature produces tight, dry meat.