Living in the tropics is wonderful- good weather year round, sunshine, monsoons, all that great stuff. Still I do miss greeting the coming of the seasons - whether captured in the brilliant hues of auburn and gold as trees shed their leaves in September, the sheer serenity looking out of my window in the morning with the street blanketed with snow, or catching the blooming of the cherry blossom trees during my annual trips to the Smithsonian in D.C. in the spring.
It's been a while since I've made a roast lamb dinner, as roasts are usually served only on special occasions. But I decided on a whim, to splurge and buy a whole boneless leg of lamb from New Zealand. The key to a good roast is in the quality of the meat. Sustainably raised lamb is unbeatable, I've been told. Most lamb available here comes from either Australia or New Zealand but I am generally inclined toward the latter.
This recipe calls for you to treat the lamb in a light marinade perfumed with lemon zest and herbs. It turned out almost perfectly this time around (to be honest, between two hungry boys they ate the entire thing in one sitting!) and I hope it works for you as well. I served this with sides of roast baby potatoes and lightly sauteed mixed vegetables.
Ingredients:
1 (about 1 to 1.5 kg) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and tied with kitchen twine
Marinade:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
A couple of drops of lemon juice from 1 small wedge of lemon
1 cup white wine
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, leaves removed, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, leaves removed, chopped
Zest from 1/2-1 lemon
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
In a blender, combine marinade ingredients and give it a couple of pulses. In a large airtight tupperware, or resealable plastic bag, place your lamb and pour marinade over. Marinade for at least 3 hours or overnight, turning it once or twice to marinade evenly.
Special equipment:
1 stove-proof roasting dish with a rack
For tray:
2 onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
4 cloves garlic, smashed lightly
1 bay leaf
1 stick rosemary
1 tsbp olive oil
1/2 cup water
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Combine vegetables in the roasting pan, drizzle olive oil over and toss well.
Drain marinade and place lamb on chopping board. Pat lightly with paper towels. Season lamb generously on all sides with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
When oven is ready, place lamb on rack. Roast at 220 degrees for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 150 degrees Celsius and roast for 10-15 minutes per 500 g (In my case, the lamb was 1.25 kg so it worked out to be roughly 1 hour in total) for medium rare. You want the lamb to still have a blush of pink. You can test for doneness by cutting into the middle of the roast. Juices should be slighlty red. (Or use a meat thermometer, which should read about 55-57 degrees Celsius. Click here for a temperature converter). Wrap meat in two layers of foil and let the roast rest for about 15-30 minutes while you prepare the gravy.
Gravy:
1 heaped tsp of plain flour
1/2 cup red wine
500 ml. light stock
2 tsp chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce for colour (optional)
A pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Tilt roasting pan away from you and skim off most of the fat. Heat the pan on medium heat. Using a potato masher, squash vegetables into the pan juices and stir everything around. Add flour, cook for about 2 minutes. Add red wine, simmer over medium heat until reduced to about half the amount. Add stock, herbs and soy sauce. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes until gravy has reached desired consistency. Adjust seasoning to taste. Strain through fine mesh strainer into gravy boat. (Use the potato masher to get out as much of the goodness from the vegetables out)
Presentation:
Carve lamb into thin slices and serve with gravy, and side dishes of your choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment