I love leg of lamb, especially in the spring. I love this one because it is simple and satisfying and a show stopper for the holidays. The herb garlic crust is so easy to prepare and is wonderful counterpoint for the richness of the meat. Leg of lamb if well trimmed is a relatively lean cut, so it is a great choice. Enjoy this preparation. It is simple and celebratory without all the fuss.
Ingredients
1- 7 pound bone in well trimmed spring leg of lamb
1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup well packed fresh oregano
2 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 Tbs. fleur de sel or kosher salt
2 tsps. freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbs. olive oil
Place lamb on a clean piece of freezer paper. With a pairing knive cut slits every 1-1/2 inch apart on all sides. Place the garlic cloves, herbs, spices, and olive oil in a small chopper, (
small electric chopper) and blend to a paste. Alternatively chop all of the ingredients fine and blend into a paste with a morter and pestle then whisk in the olive oil.
Rub all of the paste all over the pierced lamb and place into a 9x13 glass baking dish.
photo by Doug Goldsmith
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, remove the plastic wrap and place the roast into the preheated oven.
Roast the lamb for 1 1/2 hours, until the internal temperature is 140 degrees for medium rare. Use an instant read thermometer. Let the lamb rest for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil.
Carve the lamb at the table.
Serve with my potato and celery root gratin and my roasted Brussel sprouts and green beans.
I will blog about these recipes later this week.
Recipe, writing and photos, (except where stated) by Karen Pickus 2012
Courtesy, Karen Pickus 2012
This seems to be so delicious. Will definitely try it soon.
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