Patagonia is mostly wind. On the steppe below the Andes, sheep outnumber people by an order of magnitude, and lamb goes on an iron cross planted at an angle beside the coals — al asador — and leans there for five or six hours while the wind does its best. The seasoning is rosemary and thyme and garlic, which grow in that dry country, and coarse salt and pepper. Nothing else is needed and nothing else is welcome.
1½ tsp per pound of lamb, rubbed on with olive oil, ideally overnight. Leg, rack, chops, shoulder. Beyond lamb: roast chicken, pork loin, potatoes, carrots, white beans, focaccia. Also makes an outstanding compound butter for steak.
Rosemary, sea salt, granulated garlic, thyme, cracked black pepper, smoked paprika, bay leaf.
