The roast dinner is possibly the most quintessential british food along with fish and chips but that will be another recipe.
Roast lamb is my earliest memory of a roast dinner from when my Grandma used to make it for the family.
I have to say i have loved every roasted meat i have ever tasted but lamb is definitely up there amongst my favourites. I feel like lamb is one of those meats that people either love or hate, for me it definitely falls into the love category.
A fantastic yet greasy meat full of flavour that makes a perfect rOAST ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.
There are many different cuts of lamb that are good for roasting. My dad makes a fantastic rack of lamb but my favourite choices are leg and shoulder. in my opinion A SHOULDER HAS MORE FLAVOUR, it is also cheaper WHICH IS ALWAYS A BONUS. THE SHOULDER CAN BE tougher SO IT IS BEST COOKED slowly, IN MY OPINION THE LEG IS BEST ENJOYED PINK.
Roast Lamb with Garlic & Rosemary
Ingredients
Leg of Lamb
1 Bunch of Fresh Rosemary
1 Bulb of Garlic
Crushed Black Peppercorns
Ground Sea Salt
Olive Oil
Red Wine (a fuller red maybe a Claret or Rioja)
Serving Suggestion
This way of roasting lamb can be served in many ways but I suggest putting it with rosemary roast potatoes, honey glazed roasted vegetables and some mint sauce on the side to add the finishing touch.
Prep
Take your leg of lamb and make approximately 5 deep incisions across the meat over the bone.
Take the equivalent number of garlic gloves and chop them in half.
Take another 3 good sized cloves and finely chop them.
Strip the leaves off of 3 sprigs of rosemary and finely chop.
Throw the finely chopped rosemary and garlic into a bowl with a tablespoon of the crushed peppercorns and tsp of ground sea salt, lug in some olive oil and mix it all up.
How to throw it together
1. Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees C.
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2. Start by giving the meat a quick splash of red all over (with your roasting tray underneath)
3. Put a clove of garlic (already cut into halves) into each incision... so 5 cloves in 5 incisions in total!
4. Spread the oil mix you made all over the joint and make sure you get deep into those incisions. and fill them up
5. Put a rack into the roasting in and lay the remaining rosemary sprigs onto it creating a bed for the lamb to rest on.
6. Put a further glass and a half of red into the roasting tray and just roughly crush the remaining garlic cloves with the skins on and put into the wine.
7. Once the oven is up to temperature roast for 20 minutes before turning the heat down to 180 then roast for a further 15 minutes per 450g.
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8. Before serving wrap the lamb in foil and let it rest for 20 mins to half an hour before serving a perfect time to make your gravy from the wine and juices left over from the roasting tray. Now just add the sides of your choice and enjoy!