This is one of those dishes that she swore was super easy but I never really watched her do it so I just assumed it was complicated. Turns out my mom was right. I'm sure there is some psychological analysis that can be done from that last statement. It really is so easy to make and will surely impress anyone you serve it to.
So without further ado, you must try this absolutely delicious and easy, yet truly gourmet dish! And here's a little teaser...there will be another post about how to handle the leftovers next.
Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
1 semi-boneless leg of lamb (preferably US because of the milder taste but not required)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
fresh rosemary
2-3 Tbs cornstarch or flour
How to prepare the meat
1) Remove the plastic coating and pat dry.
2) Remove any excess fat from the lamb but you'll want to leave some for flavor and moisture. We just trimmed a little bit.
3) Spray the bottom of a glass baking dish with PAM or some non-stick spray. We used a 9x13 glass baking dish. You don't want to use a roasting pan because it may dry it out too much.
4) Chop fresh rosemary (~2Tbs). We just went outside to my rosemary plant and chopped a few sprigs. Remember you don't want the hard stem, just the "leaves"
5) Coat BOTH sides in salt, pepper, garlic powder and the chopped rosemary. And when I say coat, I mean you want it like a crust. Now is not the time to scrimp! The rosemary won't be enough to coat so just spread it evenly between both sides.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min per pound (less if you like it medium rare). If you want to check the temperature, it should come out where the beef section is on your thermometer.
7) FOR THE LAST 20 MIN OF BAKING pour 2-3 cups of water in the bottom of the pan. This is going to be the base of your gravy.
8) Remove the roast and place on a plate. We covered ours lightly with foil to help it stay warm while we finished making gravy and setting the table.
9) When you slice the meat to serve, slice it against the grain so it's more tender.
Here's a picture of ours as it was resting...seriously I'm drooling as I see this picture. If only you had smell-a-vision so you could truly appreciate how the house smells when this is cooking. D.I.V.I.N.E.
Gravy for the meat (an absolute must!)
1) You can transfer the drippings and water from the pan over to a pot or simply place your glass baking dish on the stove and cook the gravy in it (which is what we did). Place it on medium heat and start to stir so you get all the little drippings that have stuck to the dish moving around and unstuck.
2) In a small cup, add 3 Tbs of flour or cornstarch to approx 1 1/2 cups of water and whisk so that it's nice and smooth (no clumps). This is what you'll use to thicken the gravy. We call it a "slurry"
3) While continuously stirring, add the slurry little by little to the drippings until it's slightly thickened. You don't want it super thick like biscuit gravy but you don't want it watery like au juis. It should be somewhere in between. We didn't end up using all of our slurry because it wasn't necessary.
4) Taste and add salt, pepper and garlic powder as needed. Ours needed a little of all three.
5) By now your meat has rested and there are probably some juices at the bottom of the plate it's sitting on - toss those in to your gravy too! It's just that much more added flavor!
We served our lamb with home made mashed potatoes since we had gravy for the potatoes. It would also be good with rice if you're not a potato fan. We also had green beans and a fresh salad from my dad's garden (boy do I miss a good garden!).
I should have taken a picture of our plates but I was a bit too busy running around getting things on the table while managing the toddlers. Trust me when I say it's super delicious. I requested this every birthday and Easter growing up.
The next post will be about what to do with all the leftovers, including those potatoes! So don't toss anything out! You can use it to make an equally delicious dish that is great for freezing.
Bon Appetit!
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