Roast Leg Of Lamb Cape Style Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut slits in the top of the leg of lamb every 3 to 4 inches, deep enough to push slices of garlic down into the meat. Salt and pepper generously all over the top of lamb, place several sprigs of fresh rosemary under and on top of the lamb. Place lamb on roasting pan.
• Roast in preheated oven until the lamb is cooked to your desired doneness, about 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Do not overcook the lamb, the flavor is best if meat is still slightly pink. Let rest at least 10 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• Trim the leg, but don't cut off the fat unless the leg has an excessive layer of fat. The fat is part of the deliciousness, and prevents drying out out the meat during roasting.
• Using a small pan, roast the coriander -- shake the pan so it does not burn. Roast just until you can smell it, or it starts to catch.
• In a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander slightly. The seeds do jump around, so hold one hand over the mortar!
• Slice the garlic cloves into strips, and chop the bacon. Keep a small pile of dried thyme at hand.
• With a sharp paring knife, stick slits all over the lamb and on the underside. These can be enlarged with a finger. Roll a sliver of garlic and a piece of bacon in the dried thyme, and stuff into each slit.
• Put the leg in a non-reactive glass or ceramic dish -- an oval-shaped one is best, or use a suitable rectangular Pyrex dish.
• Pour the red wine over the lamb, to come up halfway.
• Take a palm full of coriander seeds and rub over the lamb, also on underside. Sprinkle the rest over and also into the red wine, along with more garlic and thyme.
• Marinate the lamb for at least 24 hours, but preferably 2 - 3 days. Turn once or twice every day.
• To roast, heat oven to medium, 350 deg F/180 deg F.
• Lift leg out of wine and into an oven roaster. Do not use the wine marinade, as it often turns a little bitter, but keep some to add to the gravy later.
• Add no more than 1/2 cup water to the roaster (preferably the oval tin type). If leg is lean, dribble over cooking oil. If the leg has a nice layer of top fat, no oil is necessary.
• Roasting time is hard to prescribe: it was usually calculated at about 25 minutes per lb. plus 25 minutes extra. It all depends on whether you have a tender lamb which you'd prefer to keep slightly underdone, or an older, muttony leg which might need enough time in the oven to cook through.
• I will calculate the time given here on a 6lb leg of lamb @ 25 minutes per pound, but that might be too long for a tender leg.
• When done, lift on to a serving platter. Skim off most of the fat, and if your roaster is okay with it, put it on a stove plate. (Otherwise decant all juices and bits to a small pot).
• Use beef stock (use granules or whatever you have) to make 3/4 cup of stock, and add 1/4 cup of the leftover wine marinade. Whisk in 2 level tablespoons flour. (I would use Bisto, but I can see the shocked expressions -- don't worry, this way Bisto makes excellent gravy).
• Whisk the stock into the pot or roaster with the scrapings and juices, and stir until it starts bubbling and thickens. Taste -- it might need more salt and will certainly need black pepper.
• Anoint the leg with a couple tablespoons of gravy.
• As the leg was not salted, put the salt pot on the table.
• Serve with yellow rice, the gravy, stewed green beans, a carrot side dish and roast potatoes. With whatever salad you like -- and mint sauce, which will be posted separately.
• A mellow S A Merlot or Pinotage would go well with this. And please see that the carver does his job correctly -- against the grain.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Use a small sharp knife to make about a dozen incisions, each about 2 inches deep, through the fat that covers the top of the meat. Using a mortar and pestle or a blender, blend 2/3 of the anchovies (or 2/3 of the mustard if using), the rosemary leaves and the garlic cloves into a chunky paste. Using your fingers, press paste deeply into incisions.
• Mix remaining anchovies (or mustard) and the butter into a paste. Smear this mixture all over the surface of the roast. Season liberally with black pepper. (Do not add salt; the anchovies are salty enough, and so is the mustard.) Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up, and squeeze the lemon halves over. Pour the wine around the roast into the pan.
• Roast 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and roast until internal temperature reaches 130 to 135 degrees (for medium-rare or medium meat), about another 60 to 90 minutes. Baste every 20 minutes or so with the wine and drippings in the pan, adding more wine as needed to keep the liquid from scorching. If possible, for the last 15 minutes of cooking, use convection or a broiler to crisp the fat on the roast.
• Remove pan from the oven, remove rack from the pan, and let the roast rest on the rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes in a warm place, tented with foil. The internal temperature will rise to about 140 to 145 degrees.
• To make sauce from the pan drippings, remove a few tablespoons of fat by tipping the pan and spooning off the top layer. Put the pan over medium heat until the liquid simmers. Taste the simmering liquid and whisk in more wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the consistency and flavor are right. Do not let the mixture become syrupy; it should be a sharp jus, not a thick gravy.
• Carve lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on a heated platter, decorated with rosemary sprigs. Serve with piping hot gravy.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remove all packaging from the lamb and keep a note of the weight to calculate the roasting time. Make incisions into the lamb using a small sharp knife, at an angle, about 5cm into the meat. Making the holes at an angle will mean more of the meat is flavoured, and the flavourings will be less tempted to be pushed out when roasting.
• Insert a short sprig of rosemary, a garlic slice and a small piece of anchovy (if using) into each of the holes, pressing in well with your finger. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper, then rub the lamb all over with the olive oil. Transfer to a roasting tin, sat on the onion slices. Roast for 20 mins.
• Lower the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and cook for another 15-20 mins per 500g (1 hr - 1 hr 20 mins for 2kg leg) depending on how pink you like your lamb. You can also check the internal temperature of the lamb if you prefer pinker meat - it will be 55C for medium (pink) and 70C for well done.
• Cover with foil and rest for 15 mins before carving. Save the tray juices and onion slices to make gravy.

Steps:

• For the cleanest-looking presentation, trim 1 1/2 inches of flesh from the shank bone with a sharp paring knife. (Your butcher may be willing to do this for you.)
• The fell is a thin outer layer of fat that you may find if you buy an untrimmed leg from a butcher. It's very tough, so it's important to remove all of it. A long knife with a sharp thin blade is the best tool for the job.
• Trim the excess fat that lies beneath the fell, but leave enough to enrich the meat and gravy. It also crisps up nicely when broiled, which helps give the carved slices great texture. Use shears to trim the fat pads around the hip, or large end.
• Make incisions 1 inch long and 1/2 inch deep all over the leg; they?ll allow the aromatic rub to penetrate the meat more easily. Roughening the surface in this way also results in a crisper, more flavorful crust after broiling.
• Stir together salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, mustard, and oil in a small bowl until it forms a wet paste. Spread rub evenly over lamb, working it into the incisions. Let lamb sit at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Transfer lamb, fat side up, to a large roasting pan fitted with a rack, and add broth. Roast lamb 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees, and roast until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of flesh near the bone reaches 130 degrees to 135 degrees (medium-rare), about 55 minutes. Increase temperature to broil; broil until surface sizzles and becomes brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer lamb to a platter or carving board; let rest at least 20 minutes before carving.