laurence hoped he might not have a very dismal meal ahead of him , having some vague impression of restrictions upon the jewish diet , but the late dinner was more than respectable : a very good leg of lamb , roasted to a turn in the turkish manner and carved off the spit into thin slices , with new potatoes dressed in their skins and a fragrant glaze of olive oil and strong herbs ; and besides a whole fish roasted with peppers and tomatoes , pungent and strongly flavored with the common yellow spice , and a tenderly stewed fowl which no one could have objected to .