Roast Leg of Lamb ala Tom

We can't thank Sandra's friend, Tom, enough as he did it again. He sent me a leg of lamb and it made out New Year's Eve Dinner the most memorable. I could not believe that time flies so fast, it is 3 months already since we had this delicious lamb dinner. Thank you again, Tom and hope to get more lamb and rosemary from you.



Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb (about 4 1/2 pounds)
1 handful fresh sage
1 clove garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
Olive oil
1 handful fresh rosemary
3 ounces pancetta, sliced

Method:

With a knife, follow the lamb bone down about 4 inches (you are just making a 'tunnel' where you are cutting the meat away from the bone). Do this from the top end and the bottom end.

Roll the leg into a roast shape and tie with cotton butcher's twine.

Pierce the meat at an angle with a sharp pointed knife 6 to 8 times at random around the leg.

Where you have made the incisions, open them up a bit by poking your fingers down in them to make a bit of space.

Using a pestle and mortar smash up half the sage with the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt. When its pulped, add the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the other half of the sage and the rosemary roughly chopped.

Stuff the mixture into all the incisions and gaps you have made with the knife. Then stuff the pancetta deep into the gaps along the bone and the incisions. This gives a lovely fragrant flavor to the meat. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown lamb on all sides.

Place lamb in roasting pan and roast in a preheated 425 f oven for 30 to 40 minutes for medium rare, 1 hour for well done. (A meat thermometer inserted in center should read 160 or 165 degrees F or a thinbladed knife inserted to the center for 20 seconds should feel lukewarm on your lips.)

Let sit at room temperature about 10 minutes covered loosely with foil before carving, so juices can run to center.

Remove strings and slice meat thinly across the roll.

Serve with Deep fried french beans and mint sauce.

To reheat carved lamb, place slices on a sheet pan, cover with a wet towel, and bake 5 minutes at 375 degrees F.


Serves