Leg of Lamb
I spend a significant portion of my mental capacity thinking about my next meal. Almost as soon as I clear the dishes I find myself thinking, ‘what should I serve for dinner tomorrow’. It has become a bit of a disease, mind you a delicious one.
I assume that most people spend their down time thinking their next vacation or what they have planned for the weekend. Instead of planning our next vacation or fun activity, I instead find myself thinking about what menu I will plan for our next event. What I often wonder how much more productive I would be in life if I spent more time thinking about the task at hand.
I always place particular emphasis on what I am going to cook for my father’s birthday. My father has very eclectic taste, is willing to try most everything once and is great at praise, making him the ideal person to cook for. This year I decided to try roasting a leg of lamb, a dish which for some reason I had never cooked before
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After significant research, I could not fathom why I had waited so long to try this dish. It is affordable, very easy to make and is every bit as elegant as a very expensive cut of beef. I spent much of my early life believing that I did not like lamb. I believe this is because the only lamb I had been exposed to came doused in the florescent green mint jelly and tasted far too ‘mutton-y’ for lack of a better word. Trimming away the fat can significantly abate Lamb’s distinctive mutton taste; where much of that flavour resides. And skipping the mint jelly for a middle-eastern marinade gave this dish significantly more complex and delicious flavours.
Roasted Leg of Lamb
Adapted from Jerusalem
2 tsp black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
½ tsp cardamon pods
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 star anise
½ cinnamon stick
½ whole nutmeg, grated
¼ tsp ground ginder
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp sumac
2 ½ tsp sea salt
1 oz/ 24 g fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2/3 cup (40 g) chopped cilantro, stems and leaves
¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup (120 ml) peanut oil
1 bone-in leg of lamb
Trim the fat off the leg of lamb.
Put the first 8 ingredients in a case-iron pan and dry-roast over medium-high heat for a minute or two, until the spices begin to pop and release their aromas. Take care not to burn them. Add the nutmeg, ginger, and paprika, toss for a few more seconds, just to heat them, then transfer to a spice grinder. Process the spices to a uniform powder. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients, except the lamb.
Using a small, sharp knife to score the leg of lamb in a few places, making slits 2/3 inch/ 1 ½ cm deep through the fat and meat to allow the marinade to seep in. Place in your large roasting pan and rub the marinade all over the lamb, using your hands to massage the meat well. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and leave aside for 2-3 hours.
Take the lamb out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking so that it comes to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Put the lamb in the oven and cook until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 135°F (for medium-rare to medium). Let the lamb rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Return the roasting pan to the stovetop as well as any additional juices from the resting lamb. Gently re-heat the sauce and serve over the carved lamb.
Note: If you don’t have a spice grinder, you can use a mortar and pestle to make this mix. You will need to substitute ground cinnamon for cinnamon sticks, cardamom powder for pods and leave out the star anise