Roast Leg Of Lamb With Red Currant Jelly Gravy Food

BEST LAMB GRAVY

Steps:

• Gently fry onion and garlic in oil until soft.
• Add stock and wine and bring to the boil.
• Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes to reduce.
• Add rosemary and redcurrant jelly, stir until disolved.
• Serve immediately.

BAKED LAMB WITH ROSEMARY, WITH REDCURRANT AND MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• First of all, crush the garlic and sea salt together to a purée, using a pestle and mortar, then add the oil, chopped rosemary and a good seasoning of pepper and mix well. Next, spread a large sheet of foil over the roasting tin, place the lamb on it and stab the fleshy parts of the joint several times with a skewer. Now spread the rosemary mixture all over the upper surface of the lamb and tuck in a sprig of rosemary (as this makes a nice garnish later). Then bring the edges of the foil up over the lamb, make a pleat in the top and scrunch in the ends. This foil parcel should be fairly loose to allow the air to circulate. Bake the lamb for 2 hours, then open out the foil, baste the joint well with the juices and return it to the oven for a further 30 minutes to brown. The above cooking time should result in lamb very slightly pink: you can cook it for more or less time, as you prefer. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the redcurrant jelly and vinegar in a small saucepan and whisking over a gentle heat, till the jelly melts into the vinegar (a balloon whisk does this perfectly). Then add the chopped mint and some seasoning and pour into a jug - the sauce doesn't need to be warm. When the lamb is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Discard the foil, spoon off the fat and make some gravy with the juices left in the tin: add the white wine, stir and let it bubble until it has become syrupy. Season with salt and pepper if it needs it and pour into a warmed serving jug.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Sprinkle the lamb joint with malt vinegar and thoroughly dry it.
• Using a sharp knife, make a series of deep cuts all over the meat.
• Stuff a slice of garlic, a couple of rosemary leaves and a sliver of anchovy into each cut, pushing them deep into the meat.
• Rub the olive oil all over the lamb joint.
• Place a roasting tin into the oven and preheat to very hot (220°C).
• Place the lamb joint in the roasting tin and cook for 15 minutes per pound with 15 minutes over (reduce the cooking time by 10-15 minutes if you prefer a pinker joint).
• About half an hour before the end of cooking, pour half the wine over the joint.
• Remove the lamb from the oven and put it in a warm place to set.
• Meanwhile, deglaze the roasting tin with the remaining wine scraping with a metal spoon to incorporate all the meat juices.
• Add the red currant jelly and stir to dissolve.
• Strain the juices into a pan and add some of the water you have cooked the vegetables in (thickening with cornflour- if liked) and bring to the boil.
• Carve the lamb into thick slices and serve with new potatoes, vichy carrots and peas accompanied with mint sauce and the gravy.

LAMB EN CROûTE WITH REDCURRANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the lamb well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry three fillets over a high heat for 5 minutes until seared on the outside. Remove from the pan and repeat with the other 3 fillets. Set aside until cold.
• Unravel the whole pack of pastry on a floured surface and cut into four rectangles. Cut the half pack to make two rectangles. Roll out each piece to make the rectangles 2.5cm larger all round.
• Position one rectangle with a short side facing you, brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with a sixth of the chopped sage. Put a lamb fillet on the pastry close to the end facing you, then fold the long sides in to cover the ends of the meat; brush these with more egg yolk.
• Freeze the lamb parcels on a tray until solid for 4 hours, then pack in a freezer container. Seal, label and freeze for up to a month.
• To make the sauce, melt the redcurrant jelly in a pan over a gentle heat, add the port and rosemary and boil uncovered for 10-12 minutes until syrupy. Cool for 5 minutes, strain into a freezer container, then leave until completely cold. Seal, label and freeze for up to a month.
• On the day defrost the lamb seam-side down on a wire rack for 3 hours at room temperature. Defrost the sauce at room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to fan 200C/ conventional 220C/gas 7. Put the parcels seam-side down on a nonstick baking sheet, brush with egg yolk, then snip four incisions in the top of each. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and rest them for 5-10 minutes. Reheat the sauce in a pan.
• Slice each parcel and serve with the sauce and watercress salad.

HERB-CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB WITH RED WINE GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Use a sharp knife to make little slits all over the lamb, then insert a slice of garlic into each hole. Tip the onions and carrot into a large flameproof roasting tin, then place the lamb on top and season. Pour 250ml water into the base of the tin and roast in the oven for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, make the crust by mixing together all the ingredients and seasoning well. Remove the lamb from the oven and turn the heat down to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Brush the lamb all over with the mustard, then pack on the crust in a thick layer - don't worry if any falls in the tin, this will be used in the gravy later (you probably won't use the entire crust, so set aside what's left for later). Return the lamb to the oven and cook for a further 1 hr 30 mins. Check the lamb during cooking and add more water to the base of the tin if it dries out.
• Remove the lamb from the tin, cover lightly with foil and leave to rest for 30-40 mins - if covered too tightly, the crust will go soggy.
• To make the gravy, put the roasting tin with the vegetables still in it directly on the heat and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 min, then add the wine, scraping any flour from the bottom of the tin. Let it bubble for 1 min, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10-15 mins until thickened, stirring in a little of the reserved crust for a thicker gravy. Strain the gravy through a sieve into a pan, discarding the vegetables left in the sieve. Add mustard to taste and stir through the butter. Keep warm until ready to serve.