ISO Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe

[Barb856]

I would like to make a boneless leg of lamb for company and was wondering if anyone has a tried and true recipe they would like to share. Thanks in advance.

[jimjimmerjim]

From Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", vol. 1

Gigot a la Moutarde

Herbal Mustard coating for Roast Lamb

1/2 c Dijon mustard
2 Tb soy sauce
1 clove mashed garlic
1 tsp ground rosemary or thyme
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 Tb olive oil

Blend the mustard, soy sauce, garlic, herbs and ginger together in a bowl. Beat in the olive oil by droplets to make a mayonnaise-like cream.

Paint the lamb with the mixture and set it on the rack of a roasting pan. The meat will pick up more flavor if it is coated several hours before roasting.

Roast in a 350-degree oven untill medium rare, 147 to 150 degrees.

*******************

I got this cookbook in 1983, and this has been my favorite lamb recipe ever since.

However-over the years, I have made a few changes.

I now use only fresh herbs, at least a Tabelspoon of Rosemary, and I also use fresh ginger. Fresh herbs and fresh ginger were almost unheard of in the US when Julia wrote this book.

I also put the herbs, ginger, and garlic in the food processor to chop them, then add the soy and mustard just to blend. Then with the motor running I drizzel in the olive oil.

This basic recipe is wonderfull with pork, chicken, and turkey. I usually use fresh sage instead of the rosemary for pork. I have also used a combination of parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme for poultry.

[jimjimmerjim]

Now, if you are wondering about a sauce to serve with the lamb, here is one by Julia in the same volume. It is wonderfull.

Sauce Speciale a l'Ail puor Gigot

Garlic Sauce for Roast Lamb

1 large head garlic
3/4 c milk, more if needed
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp rosemary or thyme
1 1/2 Tb raw white rice
1 c brown lamb stock, beef stock, or canned beef stock

Separate the garlic cloves. Bring them to a boil in a sauce pan containing a qt of water, and boil 30 seconds. Drain and peel. Set again in cold water, bring to the boil, and drain.

In the saue pan bring the milk, salt, herbs, and rice to the simmer. Add the garlic, and simmer very slowly for 45 minutes, putting in more milk by the spoonfuls if rice is in danger of scorching.

Pour in the stock and simmer 1 minute. Puree in a blender, Correct seasonings. Set aside and reheat when needed.

After the lamb has been roasted, take out as much fat from the pan as possible, and deglaze with 3 or more Tb of stock, scraping up the coagulated juices. Strain into the hot garlic sauce. Pass the sauce in a hot gravy boat.

************************************

While I was typing this I was thinking about maybe next time using just roasted garlic rather than the blanching process Julia describes. I think it is about time to buy some lamb and find out.

[Canice]

A friend sent me these which, alas, I did not get to try but sound wonderful:

Butterflied Leg of Lamb
Marinated In Yogurt and Mint
Serves 6
Total preparation time: 4 1/2 hours
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 scallions, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced plus
1 large clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
3- to 5-pound butterflied leg of lamb
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic (crushed)


DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, scallions, minced garlic, mint, thyme, lemon zest, pepper, and salt in a large bowl and stir to mix.

2. Rub the garlic clove over both sides of the lamb and put the lamb in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Pour the marinade over the meat and turn it several times to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. About 30 minutes before grilling, remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

3. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill arranging the coals for indirect cooking. Lightly spray the grill rack with vegetable oil cooking spray. The coals should be hot.

4. Lift the lamb from the marinade, scrape off the excess marinade, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Discard the marinade.

5. Combine the oil and crushed garlic in a small bowl for basting the meat.

6. Sear the lamb over the hot coals for about 5 minutes on each side, basting with the olive oil and garlic mixture frequently during the first 20 minutes of grilling. Move the lamb to the cooler part of the grill, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes. Turn the meat over, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes longer for medium-rare meat, or until cooked to the desired doneness. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat should register 140° F for rare meat and 145° to 150° F for medium-rare. Let the lamb rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.


Lemon Yogurt Grilled Leg of Lamb

1 whole boned leg, butterflied (remove the long bone inside the leg)
1 1/2 C. yogurt
juice 2-3 lemons, or 1-2 limes, 2/3 C. total
2 onions, sliced
2 t. cumin
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. ground cloves

Mix marinade ingredients together. Pour over lamb and marinade at room
temp. 4-8 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Be sure to turn the meat
several times during the marinading. Remove marinade and wipe the meat dry.
Grill until done to preference, but it is best if the lamb is still pink inside.

[Gilgamesh37]

This is one of our favorites

BASIL STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

1 half leg of lamb (about 3 lbs)

Debone (if necessary) and butterfly the lamb. Sprinkle it with lemon pepper, rosemary, and a little tarragon. Set aside and make the dressing.

1 box Brownberry croutons (I used herb and garlic, or plain would be fine—just NOT the cheese ones)
½ cup chicken broth (you may need a little more)
2 eggs, beaten
1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl butter
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained as dry as possible
1 Tbl dried basil
¼ cup parmesan, grated

Melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add remaining ingredients and mix well (you may need to add a little extra chicken broth—you don’t want it too wet, but it should sort of start to come together). Spread on butterflied meat surface, roll back up and truss (or put back in its little elasticized hairnet thing, if it came with one) and place it fat side up in a roasting pan. Bake at 325° until inside registers 140 (mine took about 35 minutes per pound)—the internal temp will continue to rise about 5 degrees after you take it out of the oven. You may want to flip it over for half an hour so the bottom gets evenly done. Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before carving.

[SusanL]

Lamb Souvlaki with Rice

Recipe By : "WW Take Out Tonight"
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 pounds leg of lamb -- boneless, trimmed of all visible
fat, cut into 30 cubes
2 small red onions -- root end left intact and cut into 6
wedges each
1 large green bell pepper -- seeded and cut into 12 pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup long-grain white rice -- cooked according to package
directions

To make the marinade, combine the oil, garlic, oregano, and thyme in a
large zip-close plastic bag; mix well. Add the lamb, seal the bag, and turn sevearl times to coat. Marinate the lamb at room temperature 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

Preheat broiler. Spray a broiler pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

Thread 5 lamb cubes, 2 onion wedges, and 2 bell pepper pieces onto each of 6 (12-inch) metal skewers, alternating the ingredients. Transfer skewers to the broiler pan.

Broil the skewers 4 inches from the heat, turning at least once, until the vegetables are tender and the lamb is cookd through, 8-10 minutes. Serve with the rice.

Description:


Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 339 Calories; 18g Fat (48.0%
calories from fat); 19g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 62mg Cholesterol; 231mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 2 Fat.

NOTES : This classic dish of marinated meat on skewers is a take-out
favorite. Serve with warm pita bread and a generous dollop of
garlicky Tzatziki.

The WW book gives the following nutritional values:
Per serving (1 skewer with 1/4 cup rice); 291 Cal, 9 g Fat, 3 g Sat Fat, 73 mg Chol, 252 mg Sod, 25 g Carb, 1 g Fib, 26 g Prot, 32 mg Calc. Points: 6.