Prep Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours | Serves: 6 to 8
Description:
Straight up roasted lamb leg, cooked to medium rare with garlic and herbs is beautifully presented at the table, ready to carve. Serve with your favourite roasted vegetables and Brown Butter Rice spiked with dried apricots and toasted pecans.
Ingredients List:
- 6-7 lb (3 kg) SUNGOLD short cut semi boneless lamb leg
- 1 head garlic, broken into cloves and cut into thin slivers
- cup (50 mL) olive oil
- Coarse salt and fresh grated pepper
- 4 each sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, savoury
- Butchers twine or white utility string
- Aluminum foil
Brown Butter Rice with Apricots and Pecans
- 2 cups (500 mL) cooked brown rice
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) butter
- 3 4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 stalk celery, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (250 mL) pecan halves, toasted
- cup (125 mL) dried apricots, quartered
- 1 tsp (5 mL) dried or fresh thyme leaves
- tsp (2 mL) ground white pepper or fresh ground black pepper
Preparation & Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- With a small sharp knife, make incisions of various depth into the muscle of the leg and insert a sliver of garlic. Continue until all garlic slivers have been inserted approximately 20 or 30.
- Rub leg with oil, salt and pepper.
- Lay sprigs of fresh herbs evenly around the lamb leg. Tie down to secure with string.
- Place on a roasting rack in a shallow pan and roast for 1 hour.
- Cover roast with foil and continue roasting until inserted meat thermometer reaches 140F (60C) for medium rare.
- Keep roast covered and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Carve across the grain, downwards toward the bone, to serve.
Brown Butter Rice with Apricots and Pecans
- Prepare brown rice according to directions. This can be done ahead and refrigerated.
- In a deep large saucepan on medium LOW heat, slowly melt butter until it begins to foam. Allow butter to bubble, watch the heat so the butter does not burn, but browns slowly. The butter will separate into a golden clear liquid and darker milk solids.
- Strain solids and return butter liquid to pan.
- Add shallots and celery, and cook just until translucent and hot.
- Stir in apricots, toasted pecans, thyme and pepper.
- Cover and keep warm for 30 minutes before serving, to allow flavours to develop.