Anne Theoharouss Roast Leg Of Lamb A La Grecque Recipes

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

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.

CHEF JOHN'S ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Stir 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses, garlic, rosemary, kosher salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, mint, and cumin together in a bowl.
• Arrange the butterflied leg of lamb onto a work surface with the fatty side facing down. Cut 2 deep slashes in each of the the fleshy ends of the meat. Flip the lamb and cut 10 to 20 shallow slashes across the surface of the fat.
• Spread 3/4 the pomegranate molasses mixture onto the meat-side of the lamb to coat completely. Fold meat together and turn into a large bowl. Spread remaining pomegranate mixture over the fatty side of the meat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a roasting rack in the bottom of a roasting pan.
• Remove lamb from marinade and discard excess marinade. Gather roast and place onto a work surface with fatty side facing upwards. Tie the center section of the roast with kitchen twine to cinch the roast together. Repeat ties four times along the length of the roast.
• Season roast with salt and transfer to prepared roasting pan. Pour water below the rack to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until hot and slightly pink in the center, about 1 3/4 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Rest for 15 minutes, transfer to a plate, and brush with remaining pomegranate molasses.

ANNE THEOHAROUS'S ROAST LEG OF LAMB A LA GRECQUE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• It is recommended that you have the butcher remove and set aside the hipbone of the lamb. This is the upper bone that is attached to the main (straight) leg bone. This can also be done in the home kitchen, using a thin, sharp boning knife, neatly cutting all around the meat attached to the hipbone and severing the hipbone from the main bone. Cut off and discard the skin, leaving a light layer of fat.
• Rub two tablespoons of the lemon juice all over the lamb. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. Sprinkle one and one-half tablespoons of the oregano over the meat and rub it in.
• Make several deep gashes over the meat. Insert slivers of garlic in the gashes.
• Place the meat and the hipbone in a roasting pan and place the pan in the oven. Do not cover. Bake 40 minutes. Pour off the fat.
• Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees. Pour one and one-half cups of water around the lamb and scatter the onions and celery all around. Bake, basting occasionally, about three hours longer. Check often and, when necessary, add more water.
• Sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining one-half tablespoon of lemon juice, salt, pepper and remaining tablespoon of oregano.
• Make four deep gashes in the meaty part of the lamb and turn the lamb cut side down in the pan. Add a little more water if necessary. Scatter the potatoes all around the lamb and continue baking 30 minutes.
• Turn the potatoes so that they brown on all sides. Turn the lamb and make four more gashes on this side. Place the lamb second side down and continue baking 30 minutes or until the potatoes are thoroughly tender.
• Remove the pan from the oven and discard the celery, onions and hipbone. Put the lamb on a carving board or dish. Put the potatoes in a serving dish. Pour the pan liquid into a bowl and skim off the fat. Pour the remaining pan liquid into a saucepan and reheat. Slice the lamb and serve with the pan liquid and potatoes.

EASY ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Rub leg of lamb all over with salt and pepper. Use a small knife to make punctures in lamb about 1 inch apart. Press slivers of garlic into each hole about 1/2 inch below the surface. Place lamb in a roasting pan. You can either remove rosemary from the stalk and sprinkle and rub into lamb on all sides, or you can simply use the string from the lamb to secure it. Pour tomato sauce over lamb.
• Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C); continue roasting for about 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). If you prefer the meat well-done, continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C).