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Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Herb Rub

Ready in 3 hrs 50 mins

Recipe by Graham 

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Herb Rub has the added advantage that it makes its own delicious gravy too. It's perfect for a big meal with friends and family. Tender, slow-roasted lamb, infused with mellow garlic and herb flavours makes wonderful comfort food and works particularly well with mashed potatoes with butter and grated parmesan.

Preparation Time

20 Minutes

Cooking Time

3 Hours 30 Minutes

Ingredients for Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Herb Rub

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Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 6 - 8:

1 whole head garlic
1 tablespoon crystalized sea salt
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
  olive oil
4¼ lb leg of lamb
FOR THE POTATOES
2¼ lb potatoes
4 oz butter
2 oz parmesan cheese (grated)
  salt and pepper

How to Cook Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Herb Rub

  1. Separate and peel the garlic cloves, and mash the garlic into the salt using a pestle and mortar (yes, you can use a blender if you don't have a pestle and mortar, but you'll miss some of the fun of cooking!). Add the leaves of the rosemary and thyme (not the stems) and mix with enough olive oil to create a thick paste.
  2. Rub the garlic and herb mixture over the whole surface of the lamb. Place the lamb into a deep sided roasting tin and pour 9fl oz (250ml) of water into the tin. Cover the lamb with aluminium foil and roast in a preheated moderate oven (Mk 3 - 325ºF - 170ºC) for 3-3½ hours (basting with the juices from time to time) until cooked to your liking.
  3. When cooked, pour or spoon off any excess oil from the top of the liquid, leaving the cloudy, herby sediment in place. This is the gravy and you don't need to do any more to it (except serve with the meal). Cover the meat and gravy with a lid or aluminium foil and rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.
  4. While the lamb is cooking, peel and cut the potatoes into pieces of roughly equal size (A medium-sized potato is usually cut into about 6 pieces). Rinse the potatoes to remove any surface starch. Now place them in a large pan with sufficient salted water to cover the potatoes. Bring the water to the boil then turn down the heat and cover the pan so that it continues to boil gently.
  5. Cooking time can vary depending upon the type of potato and the texture. Generally, however, somewhere between 15 - 20 minutes is sufficient. When you think that the potatoes are close to being cooked, pierce one or two of them with a fork. If the fork penetrates easily with little resistance, the potatoes are cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and drain off the water. Add the butter and, using a potato masher, break up and mash the potatoes (you can add a little milk or cream if you want) until the texture is soft and light. Add in the grated parmesan and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  6. Carve the lamb into thick chunks and serve with the mashed potatoes and pan juices (gravy).
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you enjoy the flavour of garlic but don't like it tasting too strong, before crushing cut each clove down the middle long-ways and remove the central 'germ' (the thin stem that looks like a pale green or translucent vein). You will still be able to enjoy the flavour without everybody referring to you as "The Garlic Dragon" afterwards.
 
GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
Domaine des Pres-Lasses, is blend of four grapes, including Syrah and Grenache. This perfumed red tastes of cassis and black treacle and brilliantly complements a traditional roast leg of lamb. (2005 was a good year!)