Go Back
Capretto al forno on a terracotta dish with crisp golden skin, rosemary, roasted garlic, and potato wedges

Capretto al Forno (Italian Roast Kid Goat)

Bone-in kid goat roasted low and slow with rosemary, garlic, and white wine, finished at high heat for crisp skin.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the marinade
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 fresh rosemary sprigs leaves stripped from 2 sprigs, 2 kept whole
  • 6 garlic cloves 3 sliced thin, 3 lightly crushed
  • 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 150 ml dry white wine plus 50 ml for roasting
For the roast
  • 1.5 kg bone-in kid goat leg or shoulder pieces ask the butcher to cut into 4 portions if you prefer
  • 600 g waxy potatoes Yukon Gold or similar, cut into wedges
  • 1 fresh lemon zest only, optional
  • 100 ml water or light chicken stock for the roasting pan

Method
 

Marinate the goat
  1. Pat the kid goat pieces completely dry with paper towels.
  2. Use a small paring knife to score 8-10 cuts, about 2 cm deep, across each piece. Push a sliver of garlic and a pinch of rosemary leaves into each cut.
  3. Mix together the olive oil, stripped rosemary leaves, remaining sliced garlic, salt, pepper, and 150 ml white wine in a bowl. Rub the mixture all over the meat, making sure it gets into the scored cuts.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Roast low and slow
  1. Heat the oven to 160 C / 320 F.
  2. Place the whole rosemary sprigs and crushed garlic cloves in the base of a large roasting pan. Lay the marinated goat pieces on top, skin side up. Pour the remaining 50 ml white wine and the water or stock into the pan.
  3. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 60 minutes, basting the meat with pan juices every 30 minutes.
  4. After 60 minutes, add the potato wedges to the pan, turning them in the pan drippings to coat. Re-cover with foil and roast for a further 25 minutes until the potatoes begin to soften.
Finish at high heat
  1. Remove the foil and increase the oven to 220 C / 430 F.
  2. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the skin is golden and just beginning to crisp and the potatoes are browned at the edges.
  3. Check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat - it should read at least 72 C / 162 F. The meat should pull away easily from the bone.
  4. Transfer the goat and potatoes to a warm serving platter. Rest for 10 minutes. Spoon the pan juices over the top just before serving.

Notes

If you can't find kid goat locally, a bone-in lamb shoulder of the same weight follows the exact same method and timing.