A dinner party is only as good as the guests.

A great meal and fantastic bottle of wine does not make for a successful evening. It merely augments the time spent with good friends reminiscing of times gone by and making plans going forward. Solving all the worlds problems in an evening. I was lucky enough to have hosted such an evening. After originally not planning anything more then a quiet New Years with my family, I felt the need to reach out to a few of my close friends. As luck would have it, their dance cards were open for the evening. A great night was had by all. It was the impetus for me starting this blog. Thank you Lara for getting me started.

The meal - based on a North African theme was fantastic. Below is the recipe for an awesome butterflied leg of lamb. Try it, I guarantee it will be a hit

Spice-Rubbed Butterflied Leg of Lamb
This dish features the exotic flavours of North Africa. A butcher can bone, butterfly and trim the lamb. Start preparing this one day ahead. Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS
½ large onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves peeled
2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. fresh marjoram leaves
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 tsp. tumeric
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 - 4 ½ to 5 lb boneless leg of lamb, butterflied, fat and sinew trimmed.

DIRECTIONS

Combine first 13 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarse paste forms. Add oil and lemon juice and process until blended.

Place lamb in large resealable bag. Pour spice mixture over lamb: seal bag. Turn bag several times and rub spice mixture into the lamb. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare BBQ (medium heat). Remove lamb from marinade, shake off excess. Grill lamb to desired doneness or until instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of lamb registers 1250F to 1300F, for medium rare about 15 minutes per side. Transfer lamb to cutting board. Cover with foil and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into 1/3 inch thick slices. Arrange on a platter and serve.