Serves 6 Serves 6
My recipe for leg of lamb calls for studding the lamb with garlic, seasoning it assertively with salt and pepper, and loading it up with lots of rosemary and thyme. After that, the key to the success of this lamb is to baste the meat as frequently as possible with the pan drippings. Because the lamb is cooking in a minimum of liquid—just enough to keep it from drying out—this will produce a crusty exterior and supple, falling-apart meat within.
You should be able to buy the leg of lamb tied, but if not, you can easily do this at home. Roll the meat carefully into a tight roll with as uniform a thickness as possible. Tie the meat with kitchen string every few inches—as you would a roast—securing it firmly to maintain an even thickness from end to end.
Serve this with Potato Gratin.
One 7-to-8 pound boneless leg of lamb, rolled and tied
10 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slivers plus 4 whole heads garlic, cut in half crosswise
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine
2 large Spanish onions, peeled and halved
2 large carrots, peeled and cut on a bias into 4 pieces each
10 sprigs rosemary
10 sprigs thyme
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, make small 1/2-inch-thick slits all over the lamb. Slide a garlic sliver into each slit using the edge of the knife. Season the lamb all over with salt and pepper.
2. In a roasting pan large enough to hold the leg of lamb comfortably, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the lamb and brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the lamb and set aside.
3. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add the halved garlic heads, white wine, onions, carrots, rosemary, and thyme and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Return the lamb to the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and transfer to the oven. Roast, basting every 20 to 30 minutes with the pan juices, for 7 hours. Remove from the oven, transfer the roast to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Snip off and discard the strings and carve the leg crosswise into individual servings. Serve family-style from a platter or divide among individual plates.
VARIATION
Garlic Leg of Lamb
For a pronounced garlic flavor, line the leg with whole, peeled cloves from 1 head of garlic before rolling it up. The garlic roasts along with the leg and is soft and mellow tasting when the lamb is done.
“Regular” Leg of Lamb
If you don’t have 7 hours to make this dish, roast a leg of lamb in about 21/2 hours by raising the oven temperature to 325°F and roasting the lamb uncovered until an instant-read thermometer inserted to the center reads 125°F for rare, 140°F for medium. You won’t get the same, wonderfully crusty exterior, but it is still delicious.
TOMORROW’S TABLE
If you have leftover meat, shred it and make a soup by adding store-bought, reduced-sodium beef broth and cooked tubetti.