Roasted Leg of Lamb

I feel like lamb is a special treat. It is the under rated red meat in the United States. I really think we should eat more of it just because it is delicious. This lamb is a total crowd pleasure. It produces a succulent, flavor meat and the sauce....oh the sauce! It is packed full of flavor and really just brings out all the mild, delicate flavors of the lamb. Perfect for Easter, Christmas, or even just a Sunday supper.


Ingredients

Lamb
1 leg of lamb (somewhere close to 6 lbs)
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
2 tsp pepper

Sauce
Pan drippings
1 white onion, diced
1/3 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon flour.
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red grape juice


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Put your leg of lamb in a roasting pan. Pour the lemon juice over it. In a small bowl mix together the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Using your hands, rub the spices all over the lamb.

3. Roast the lamb for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. After 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Continue roasting for about 1 hour longer, until your meat thermometer reads 145 degrees.

4. Remove lamb from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

5. While the lamb is resting, make your sauce by pouring all of the drippings from the roasting pan into a medium-sized sauce pan. Get all the little bits, and burned chunks that you can. Heat the sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and saute for 5-7 minutes. Add in the herbs and flour and saute for another minute. Add in the chicken stock and grape juice and bring to a boil. Sauce should begin to thicken. Remove from heat. Strain out all the herbs and onions (if desired), leaving a pure sauce. Serve the sauce drizzled over the lamb once it is sliced.

Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse 2004

Lamb is a nice tender meat because it comes from sheep that are less than a year old. The taste of lamb is affected a lot by what the animal eats. The most delicate lamb you can buy is milk fed, but most lamb you'll come across in the United States is finished on grain (like pretty much every other animal for consumption).

There are 5 different grades of lamb: prime, choice, good, utility, and cull. Prime is the highest quality, cull is the lowest.

Leg of lamb is best prepared by stewing, braising, or roasting.