Slow Roast Leg Of Lamb With White Wine Food

4-HOUR LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a very large Dutch oven such as Le Creuset over medium-high heat until its hot. Add the lamb and sear on all sides for about 12 minutes, until its browned all over. Remove the lamb to a plate.
• Add the wine and 2 cups of water to the pan and cook for a minute or two, scraping up all the brown bits in the bottom. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves and the lamb on top. Place the lid on the pot and bake in the oven for 4 hours, basting occasionally. (If you dont have a lid, you can cover it tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil.)
• After 4 hours, the lamb should be incredibly tender and falling off the bone. Remove the lamb to a plate, cover it tightly with foil and allow it to rest. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. The lamb will be too tender to slice; serve it warm with spoons and the sauce.

SLOW ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Place carrots and garlic in a roasting pan large enough for the leg of lamb. Place lamb on top. Pour in wine and lamb stock. Place roasting pan on the stove and heat over medium-low heat until liquid is boiling. Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, using oven mitts to protect your hands, and place in the oven.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 130 degrees F (54 degrees C) for medium, about 7 hours. Remove from the oven.
• Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Transfer lamb into a second roasting pan.
• Roast lamb uncovered until skin is crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest before slicing.
• While lamb is resting, pour cooking juices from the first roasting pan into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced into a gravy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

GREEK SLOW ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). (Note 2)
• Use a small knife to make around 25 incisions all over the lamb, with most on the top.
• Cut around 6 cloves into slivers and stuff them into the incisions.
• Sprinkle the lamb generously all over with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the lamb.
• Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until it has a nice brown crust.
• Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Turn the lamb upside down. Pour / place all the remaining ingredients in the pan around the lamb (including remaining garlic cloves). Fill the roasting pan with hot water so it comes up about 1/4 - 1/3 of the way up the height of the lamb.
• Cover with lid or with baking/parchment paper then 2 layers of foil. Bake for 3.5 hours. (Note 3) Top up water if it dries out (e.g. Might happen if your lid is loose)
• Remove the roast from the oven and remove the lid/foil. Turn the lamb over so it is the right side up.
• Cover again and roast for a further 2 1/2 hours, or until you can pull meat apart with forks.
• Remove cover and roast for a further 20 - 30 minutes (to brown). (Note 3)
• Remove from the oven and transfer lamb to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 - 40 minutes.
• Strain liquid into a clear jug. The fat will rise to the top. Scoop/pour most of it off - I get 3/4 - 1 cup. There should be 2 - 3 cups of Sauce left. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste.
• Serve lamb with the Sauce on the side and Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes (heat oil while lamb is in the oven, then cook potatoes when the lamb is resting).

ROAST LAMB STUDDED WITH ROSEMARY & GARLIC

Steps:

• Using a sharp pointed knife, make at least 30 small incisions all over the leg of lamb.
• Take 4 cloves from 1 bulb of garlic, peel and thinly slice them, then prod a slice into each incision. Next, take 1 bunch of rosemary, pull off small sprigs and push into the incisions, too.
• If done in advance, cover the leg of lamb well and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge 1 hr before roasting.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Heat a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and brown the leg of lamb all over.
• Scatter 2 carrots, cut into large chunks, 1 quartered onion, the remaining garlic and rosemary in a large roasting tin, pour in 1 glass of red wine and 1.2l beef or lamb stock, then place the browned lamb in the tin.
• Roast for about 1 hr 45 mins. Turn the leg of lamb halfway through so by the time it's cooked, each side has been in the stock.

SLOW COOKED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas ½. Put your largest lidded casserole on the hob and brown the seasoned leg of lamb on all sides - do this very thoroughly until it is a good dark brown as it will not brown during the cooking. (If you don't do it now, it will end up beige.) If the lamb sticks, add a drizzle of oil - legs of lamb differ. Allow 10 mins on a high heat and put on the cooker fan to remove the smoke. Pour away any fat that has collected in the bottom of the pan.
• Throw in the vegetables, followed by the wine and stock. Season and bring to the boil, then clap on the lid and put in the oven. Bake for 7 hrs, turning twice. After 5 hrs the meat will be cooked and offer no resistance to the knife.
• There is no need to rest the meat when cooked in this way, but to finish the sauce, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish. Strain the sauce into a jug and pour or blot away the fat with kitchen paper. Pour the sauce into a pan then boil the liquid hard to reduce by a quarter, by which time it will be rich and flavoursome. Adjust seasoning, add the Armagnac if you wish, and serve alongside the lamb, which should be served with a spoon, a la cuillère as the French call it.

SLOW-ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• 1. Cook the lamb: Heat oven to 300˚. Rub lamb with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer lamb to a plate. Add wine and 2 cups water to the Dutch oven; scrape up browned bits from bottom of pot. Nestle garlic and herbs into a large oval casserole; place lamb on top of herbs; add pan juices from Dutch oven. Cover lamb with foil; transfer to oven and roast, basting frequently, for 3 hours. Uncover, flip lamb, and continue to cook, basting frequently, until lamb is very tender, 2-3 more hours. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, prepare the beans: About 1 1⁄2 hours before the lamb is done, drain beans and transfer to a 4-qt. saucepan along with 6 cups water, 4 cloves garlic, and the herb bundle. Insert the cloves into the onion and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Remove pot from heat and season with salt and pepper. Discard herbs and strain beans, reserving cooking liquid. Transfer 2 cups beans, 1⁄4 cup cooking liquid, oil, crème fraîche, and remaining garlic clove to a blender and purée. Stir puréed bean mixture and about 1 cup of the cooking liquid back into pot and cover to keep warm until lamb is cooked. Serve the lamb sliced or torn into chunks, alongside the beans. SERVES 6 - 8 Pairing Note: This rich Provençal dish calls for a wine with ripe tannins from the south of France, like the Domaine Leon Barral Faugères 2004 ($33), from the Languedoc. -Ania Zawieja This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #123