Leg of Lamb

[eleny]

If anyone here makes leg of lamb - what's your favorite way of preparing it? I usually make the pockets and put fresh rosemary sprig and chopped garlic in them. Then season the meat with s&p and maybe sprinkle other dried herbs on top such as summer savory. Sort of a green fur coat.

In fact, any new ideas are welcome for any kind of lamb cuts. Roast, chops, ground lamb. Sometimes I even use lamb for making beet soup.

[demnan]

1. Indian curry

You can get some very high quality curry powders from Penzey's spices. Cut the lamb up in small chunks. Brown onions in oil and add ginger and garlic, a bay leaf, some caramon pods and cumin seed. Drop in by spoonfuls a 1/3 cup of yoghurt. Add a can of tomatoes. Add your lamb and brown cooking slowly in the sauce. Strain fat if necessary. At end add a few teaspoons of Garum Marsala - cook 15 minutes more. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with basmati rice or Indian bread.

[eleny]

2. Thanks so much!

This is a completely different recipe from any way I've prepared lamb. I have two roasts that I froze since it was on half price sale. So, I can use 1/2 of one leg of lamb for this recipe.

[wildeyed]

3. I butterfly the leg of lamb,

then marinate it overnight in soy/raspberry vinegar/rosemary/mint. Roll and tie the roast with butchers string. It is festive and tasty, without being too much work. I just made it for Christmas eve dinner, yum.

The recipe came from the first Silver Palate cookbook. If you don't have it and are interested, I will look up the exact measurements and post them for you.

Don't forget to save the bone for soup! I love lamb with lentils.

[eleny]

6. thanks!

i have a bottle of rosemary vinegar marinade. i never thought to use it for marinating the lamb!

[wildeyed]

15. After you tie the roast,

grind much pepper over it, then smear it with dijon mustard. Tasty!

[Hans Delbrook]

4. I debone and marinate overnight...

in a mix of: lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs (basil, parsley, rosemary, tarragon and little bit of mint) and white wine. I then grill until it reaches 138 - 140 degrees. People who supposedly "hate" lamb, have eaten this and come back for seconds.

[eleny]

7. another terrific marinade!

isn't it great to serve lamb to people who usually don't like it and they go for it? i had once taken the roast out of the oven to rest when hubby came in the door from work. he went right to it slicing and tasting. he didn't know what it was but said it was great even when he learned it was lamb. his mom never made it and he didn't like it. now he does.

[Hans Delbrook]

9. It drives me crazy!

I meet so many people who say they don't like lamb and then it turns out that they either haven't had it since childhood (and had a Mom who didn't know how to cook it) or haven't had it at all!

I don't know why there's so much prejudice about this meat. Is it because lambs are cute? Because I certainly have the same trouble w/ serving rabbit.

[eleny]

10. I think there's a difference in the meat sometimes

I've made leg of lamb many times using the same method and it doesn't always taste the same. It might be the feed. And for sure the age of the animal affects flavor.

Lamb does have a certain aroma that some people can't handle. And when you haven't had it growing up, maybe it's hard to get used to. I pack so much garlic and rosemary in the pockets of the lamb leg and add so many onions to the roasting pan, it's a wonder anyone knows what meat it is.

Cilantro was an acquired taste for me. When I moved west and was determined to learn how to make good green chile dishes I was in for a surprise. My first batch of g/chile went down the disposal. I hated the cilantro as it smelled sort of rotten to me. And now I never leave it out. I've grown to like it a lot.

[Hans Delbrook]

11. Definitely the age can affect the meat

But I always look for young lamb and my results are pretty consistent. Funny thing - I didn't grow up eating lamb since my Dad is one of those "I don't like lamb" people!" I personally think it was because he grew up eating mutton and lumped the two together.

He now begrudgingly admits that they way I fix leg of lamb is pretty good. Mind you, he was raised in the South on a farm and is quite the reverse of a picky eater. This is a man who thinks squirrel is a pretty good stew meat!

[eleny]

12. I draw the line at squirrel!

Well, maybe at least after one bite.

I'm glad your dad likes your lamb dish. My hubby now even eats cold slices. He said that it's good when you use lots of salt and have a good rye bread with it. I agree as I've always like cold lamb sandwiches on rye.

Btw, how can you tell the age of lamb? I get mine at the supermarket and don't know that the information is on the label.
Edit: Oops, maybe you only fix lamb in the Spring. That would be the way to know the age, I suppose.

[Hans Delbrook]

13. I get mine at Wegman's supermarket

and the lamb I buy almost always has "young spring lamb" on the label. In the winter I buy NZ lamb but it is marked as young and/or spring lamb. It's probably not an "official" designation (maybe it is) but it's always been good for me.

I have never personally tasted squirrel. My Dad is always careful to point out that the squirrels that one eats are the red squirrels that they have in the South - not the gray ones we have here in PA. (Either way I'm not eating it!)

[eleny]

14. I'll be sure to check the label

I forgot about the NZ lamb being "spring" for us here in the U.S. when it's later in the year.

[troubleinwinter]

5. A different curry-type dish

"SAAG"

My favorite dish at the Indian restaurant, I copied it. The base is similar to creamed spinach.

Lamb cut into bite size
chopped onion
garlic
curry powder
LOTS and LOTS of spinach (several pkgs. of frozen chopped is what I use)
a can or two of coconut milk

Lightly brown lamb, add all other ing., cook till spinach & lamb are done.

Serve over Basmati or other rice
chutney on the side

[eleny]

8. i've never cooked with coconut milk before

this sounds really tasty. we like spinach around here. so i'm looking forward to trying your curried lamb recipe. basmati rice is my favorite rice. i just used the last of it recently and it's on my shopping list for this week.

it's been so great to get some new recipes!

[wildeyed]

16. That sound fab!

I just ordered some Penzey's curry powder that is supposedly great with lamb. I will definely try this recipe once the spices arrive.

[grasswire]

17. we had the best lamb ever for Christmas dinner

My mouth is still watering.

It was a 7 pound leg of lamb. We rubbed it with lavender sea salt from France. Nothing else. Roasted it. Oh my goodness --- it was indescribably delicious. It served 10 people for Christmas dinner, and another eight people leftovers two days later. Then we simmered it like a pot roast and four people ate that with roasted potatoes and carrots. Then more liquid was added for a stew with lentils, and it fed four people for dinner and lunch. Even at the end, fragrant and flavorful!

I think we have a new tradition.

[eleny]

18. WOW!

Now, where am I going to find lavendar sea salt? Did you make it yourself? I've never heard of it.

That lamb had a lot of mileage. You folks could make a whole episode of a cooking show on the Food channel from your Christmas lamb. It fed 30 altogether.