Tile-Roasted Lamb Shepherd’s Style

On my last trip to Turkey I spent a day at a lovely outdoor restaurant, Ayso, in the town of Silivri near the Marmara Sea. The owner, Kemal Sofuoğlo invited me into the kitchen to observe the preparation of his popular clay pot dishes, including this one, Çomlekte Çoban Kavurma, which he translated as “shepherd’s roast lamb cooked on an earthen plate.”

It’s an easy recipe, but it must be cooked as directed: hot meat on a hot dry concave clay tile or a thick,