WEEKEND TREATS

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 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

Close up of Slow Roast Leg of Lamb on a white plate, garnished with rosemary sprigs

A very forgiving, very easy way to roast a leg of lamb. It's not the carving sort - the meat is so tender, you can pull it off the bone with tongs. Lamb leg is actually quite lean, so the best way to slow roast a leg of lamb is to partially submerge it in liquid and roast it covered for most of the time. This way, the flesh is infused with flavour and absorbs moisture. 

NOTE: Lamb leg should only be cooked to blushing pink & juicy (per this traditional Roast Lamb recipe) or slow cooked until fall apart which takes hours (this recipe). Anything in between is tough and not nice!

Ingredients

  • 2.25 kg / 4.5 lb leg of lamb
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 whole garlic head , unpeeled, cut in half horizontally
  • 1 onion , quartered (unpeeled is fine)
  • 2 rosemary sprigs (2 = whisper of rosemary flavour, 4 sprigs = stronger flavour)
  • 3 cups (750 ml) beef stock/broth , low sodium
  • 2 cups (500 ml) water

GRAVY:

  • 4 tbsp (50g) flour (white)
  • 1 cup (250 ml) water
  • Salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C/335°F (standard) or 150°C (fan).
  2. Place garlic, onion and rosemary in a metal roasting pan.
  3. Place lamb leg right side up in the pan. (Note 2)
  4. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and rub it in.
  5. Turn lamb over and place it so it mostly sits on the garlic and onion. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, rub it in. (Video helpful here)
  6. Drizzle lamb with olive oil. Pour broth and water around the lamb - it won't cover it, that's ok, the lamb sinks into it. Cover with foil (don't use a lid, you want a bit of liquid to steam out).
  7. Place in the oven and roast for 4.5 hours. (See Notes for roasting time table)
  8. Remove from the oven, remove foil. Turn lamb over. Check it to ensure the meat is tender (pry a bit off with a fork). If not, return, covered, to oven.
  9. Return uncovered lamb to oven for a further 45 minutes or until well browned.
  10. Remove lamb, spoon over pan juices generously. Transfer to serving platter, cover loosely with foil while you make the gravy (stays warm for 1 - 1.5 hours).

GRAVY:

  1. Use a large spoon to skim off some of the fat from the surface of the liquid.
  2. Place pan on the stove on medium high. When the liquid bubbles, add flour.
  3. Use a whisk to mix it in - this may take a few minutes as the liquid reduces.
  4. Once it looks like sludge (see video), whisk in 1/2 - 1 cup of water until it becomes a gravy consistency to your taste. Adjust salt and pepper to taste - I rarely add extra salt.
  5. Strain gravy into a bowl, pressing juices out of the onion etc.
  6. Pour gravy into jug.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking

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