Roast Leg Of Lamb French Style Gigot Dagneau A La Francaise Food

LE GIGOT D'AGNEAU (FRENCH ROAST LEG OF LAMB)

Steps:

• The night before you want to roast your lamb, cut 1 inch slits in the leg of lamb. Stuff the slits with garlic slices and rosemary sprigs. Place the lamb in a roasting pan with a roasting rack. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to infuse with flavor.
• Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 2-3 hours before you want to start cooking to let it come to room temperature.
• Preheat your oven to 450F.
• Drizzle the lamb with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you have an in-oven probe thermometer, insert it into the center of the meatiest part of the leg.
• Roast the lamb at 450F for 15 minutes.
• Reduce your oven temperature to 300F. Open the oven door slightly to help drop the heat more quickly.
• Continue to roast the lamb at 300F for 20-25 minutes per pound for medium rare (or 25-30 minutes a pound for medium). (For a 5-6 lb leg of lamb, this means you will be roasting 1.5-2.5 hours for medium rare or 2-3 hours for medium.)
• Remove the lamb from the oven when it has reached 135F internal temperature for medium rare (or 150F for medium).
• Rest the lamb on the counter for 10-15 minutes, tented loosely with aluminum foil. As it rests, it will continue to cook. Your ending temperature for medium rare should be 145F (or 160F for medium).
• Carve the leg (as instructed in our article) and serve with green beans and gratin potatoes!

ROAST LEG OF LAMB FRENCH-STYLE (GIGOT D'AGNEAU A LA FRANCAISE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• It is recommended that you have the butcher remove and set aside the hipbone of the lamb. This is the upper bone that is attached to the main (straight) leg bone. This can also be done in the home kitchen, using a thin, sharp boning knife, neatly cutting all around the meat attached to the hipbone and severing the hipbone from the main bone. Cut off and discard the skin, leaving a light layer of fat.
• Rub the meat all over with the oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the thyme.
• Make 16 gashes in the flesh of the leg and insert the garlic slivers.
• Place the leg, the thickest side down, in a roasting pan and scatter around it the hipbone, onion halves (cut side down), bay leaves and carrot pieces.
• Place in the oven and bake one hour. Remove the lamb and pour off the fat from the pan.
• Return the lamb to the pan, the thickest side up.
• Pour the water into the pan and continue baking 30 minutes for medium-rare lamb (135 degrees internal temperature). If you wish the lamb well done, continue cooking 30 minutes or longer. In any event, remove the lamb from the oven, discarding the hipbone and vegetables, cover with foil and let it stand for 20 minutes before carving. Serve, if desired, with flageolet beans in cream.