Another family favourite. A great dish for entertaining.
4 lb boneless leg of lamb
4 garlic cloves
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of Dijon or Pommery mustard
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot diced
1 large onion diced
1 celery stalk diced
2 large bay leaves
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 cup of a full bodied red wine
1/2 cup of your favourite stock or water
METHOD:
Score leg of lamb on the fatty side.
In a mini-chopper, add 2 garlic cloves, 3 stemmed rosemary sprigs, 1 stemmed thyme sprig, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Process to a loose paste.
Using your hands spread paste over entire surface of the lamb (both sides). Season with a bit more salt and pepper.
Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
After about half an hour, preheat oven to 500F.
In a roasting pan, add the mire poix (onions, celery, carrots), remaining 2 cloves of garlic, bay leaves, 1 more sprig of rosemary, 1 sprig of thyme, tomato paste, red wine and stock. Salt and pepper the vegetables. Set lamb over the mire poix, which serves as a rack. Roast for 20 minutes at 500F. Then lower the oven temperature to 350F. Cook for an additional 1 1/2 hours (approximately). It takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes per pound for medium. Otherwise, use a meat thermometer to cook to your own preference.
Once the lamb is cooked, remove from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes while you prepare the gravy.
Using a skimmer, remove all the vegetables and herbs from the roasting pan. Place roasting pan on a stove top burner and bring to a boil. Skim off the fat. Reduce heat, whisk in 1 teaspoon of corn starch and simmer the jus for 5 minutes to a silky consistency. Adjust seasoning (if necessary). Serve the jus drizzled over the sliced lamb.
TIPS:
1. Be sure to let the meat stand at room temperature for the required time before cooking. Never put cold meat into the oven, or barbeque. Bringing meat to room temperature before cooking prevents the meat from becoming tough and chewy.
2. Pat dry meat well, before spreading on the paste.
3. Always score the fatty side of the lamb so that the marinade penetrates to the roast.
4. Try to skim off as much of the fat from the jus as possible.
5. Roasting the meat at 500F for the first 20 minutes sears in the juices. I do this for all my oven roasts, including turkey.
6. Taking the time to let a roast "rest" (covered loosely with aluminum foil) after cooking will ensure that it is moist, tender and juicy.
