Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9.
Put the joint, skin-side up, in a baking dish or roasting tin, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 160°C/140ºC fan/gas 3 and cook for 4 hours until the skin is crisp and brown and the meat is juicy and meltingly tender. Pour off the fat after about 2 hours.
Put the couscous in another baking dish, in which you can serve it. Add the same volume of warm water – about 300ml – mixed with a little salt, the orange blossom water and cinnamon, and pour it over the couscous, stirring well so that the water is absorbed evenly. Leave for about 10 minutes, then add the oil and rub the grains between your hands above the dish to aerate the couscous and break up any lumps.
Mix in the dates, raisins and chopped almonds, cover with foil, and put in the oven with the lamb for the last 20 minutes or until it is steaming hot.
Before serving, pour the date syrup over the meat. Stir the butter into the couscous so that it melts in and is absorbed evenly. With a fork, fluff up the couscous, breaking up any lumps. Add a little salt to taste, if necessary.
For the garnish, remove the stones from each date and replace them with the blanched almonds; decorate the couscous with these dates. Serve the meat with the couscous. Pass the date syrup around for people who may want some more.
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