This recipe proves that lamb, spices, and fillo pastry are the ultimate power trio. Roll them together into a giant edible spiral, bake until golden, and voilà—you’ve got a dish that looks like it came straight from a bakery window. Thankfully, it only seems complicated. The hardest part is resisting the urge to tear into it the moment it leaves the oven.

This lamb pie won first prize in the2016 Old Farmer’s Almanac Recipe Contest! Congratulations to the winner, Eden Dranger from Los Angeles, California.

Check out other winners ofThe Old Farmer’s AlmanacRecipe Contests!

Ingredients1 medium onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, diced1 teaspoon olive oil1 pound ground lamb1/4 cup chicken stock3 tablespoons pine nuts3 tablespoons golden raisins2 tablespoons tomato paste2 teaspoons fennel seeds1 teaspoon cardamom powder1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon ground coriander3/4 teaspoon ground gingersalt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter9 sheets fillo pastry1 egg, for egg washsesame seedstorn mint leaves

Instructions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add lamb and cook until browned. Drain the pan. Add remaining ingredients, except butter, fillo, egg, sesame seeds, and mint. Cook for at least 10 minutes. Mixture should be moist but not runny. If it’s dry, add a little stock. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Lightly brush melted butter on one sheet of fillo pastry, edges first, then the center. Cover with another fillo sheet and butter it the same way. Repeat,
   making three layers.
4. Spread lamb mixture thinly along the edge of the buttered pastry, leaving about 2 inches on each side. Fold the sides inward, then, starting from the edge with meat, roll the pastry into a tight cylinder shape.
5. Repeat, making three cylinders.
6. Form cylinders into one spiral shape (start from the center). To join cylinder ends, rub a wet finger along the seams (cylinders may not join smoothly). Brush entire spiral with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and torn mint leaves. Bake for 25 minutes, or until pastry is golden.