Rosemary-Studded Leg of Lamb
| Published: 27th March 2008 20:48 |
Don't be freaked out by the anchovies - they add a wonderful meaty depth to the flavour of the lamb. They don't taste fishy at all. This is one of my favourite recipes, I love this juicy roast lamb with new potatoes and a few lightly cooked spring vegetables. The flavourings added to the lamb also mean that you can make the most amazing gravy with the pan juices.
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
2kg Leg of lamb, on the bone
2 sprigs Rosemary
6 Anchovy fillets preserved in olive oil
1 whole garlic head, unpeeled
4 tbsp Olive oil
250ml Lamb stock
For the Gravy
1-2 tbsp Flour
400-500ml Lamb stock
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/gas 8. Put the lamb in a roasting pan large enough to fit the lamb quite snugly. Peel half of the head of garlic, and cut the cloves in half. Pinch the larger sprigs of rosemary into small sprigs of roughly 3-4 leaves. Cut the anchovy fillets in half.
2. Using a small sharp knife make 12 incisions, roughly 2cm deep over the surface of the lamb. Into each hole place a small sprig of rosemary, a sliver of garlic and half an anchovy fillet. Drizzle the lamb with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cut the unpeeled garlic in half and put in the bottom of the roasting pan along with any left over rosemary and the lamb stock.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for twenty minutes, then turn the heat down to 200°C/gas 6 and continue roasting for an hour and twenty minutes. This will give you medium-rare meat, still juicy and quite pink in the middle.
4. Remove the meat from the oven, remove the garlic and rosemary from the bottom of the tin and leave the lamb to rest for ten minutes before carving, while you make the gravy.
5. Sprinkle a light dusting of flour over the bottom of the tray, let it sizzle for a few seconds over a high heat, then pour over enough stock, water, or wine to make a thin, gravy. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins and mash into the gravy.
6. Serve with mint sauce, boiled new potatoes and steamed spring vegetables.
Lamb needs about fifteen minutes per 450g of meat, plus the initial twenty minutes, so if you have a larger or smaller leg, scale the cooking time accordingly.
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