I mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter about the value of roasting a leg of lamb in a barbecue, but I also wanted to give you a great recipe for cooking a leg of lamb in the oven. This recipe from the north of France is a long, slow braise of the leg with plenty of aromatic garlic. It’s a great recipe to start soon after breakfast, and you just need to finish it before your guests show up. C’est magnifique!
Seven-Hour Roasted Leg of Lamb with Lots of Garlic
recipe adapted from Cooking Meat
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients:
1 (6–7 pounds) bone-in leg of lamb
to taste salt and pepper
1 cup + 2 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
4 bulbs garlic, split into whole, peeled cloves (30–40 cloves)
6 rosemary sprigs
2 cups beef Stock
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 500°F.
2. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and rub in the 2 Tbsp of oil. Place the lamb on a roasting rack and set the roasting pan in the oven. Roast until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the lamb from the oven, and turn down the oven temperature to 250°F.
3. In an ovenproof casserole dish just large enough to fit the leg of lamb, heat the remaining 1 cup of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and rosemary and fry until the garlic starts to release its aroma. Place the browned lamb leg on top of the garlic, then add the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, and place in the oven. Roast for 7 hours, or until fork tender
4. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and carefully transfer the lamb to a serving platter (it will want to fall off the bone) and cover with aluminum foil while you make the sauce.
5. Using a ladle, skim off and discard as much fat as possible from the top of the roasting juices. Discard the rosemary stems.
6. Place the casserole over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Strain the roasting juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, using the back of the ladle to push the cooked garlic through, puréeing it as you do so. Scrape the underside of the strainer, ensuring all the good bits of garlic get into the sauce. Discard the solids from the strainer. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat, season to taste, and pour into a gravy boat.
7. To serve, remove the foil from the lamb and set the garlic sauce alongside. Using a fork and knife, pull chunks of the lamb away from the bone and serve.