Stuffed Rolled Leg of Spring Lamb and Red Wine Sauce
March sees the arrival of new season spring lamb and what better way to serve it than slow roasted with pungent garlic and a good sauce. Delicious served hot but also makes a lovely cold-cut for sandwiches and light lunches.
1 x 1.2kg boneless ½ leg of lamb (see note below)
Large handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped roughly
3 large cloves garlic, finely sliced
70g cubed pancetta or bacon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
150ml good red wine
100ml veal or beef stock
10g ice cold butter cut into tiny pieces
Serves 4
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Remove string from leg of lamb and open out the joint, skin side down. Slash any thick parts of meat so the joint lays flat to the board.
- Evenly sprinkle the parsley, garlic and Pancetta over the surface, and then sprinkle generously with the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Roll the joint back up and tie securely with kitchen string.
- Place the joint into a large roasting tin and cook for 1 hour (rare) 1 hour 15 mins for medium. Tightly wrap the joint in foil and leave to rest for 10 mins.
- Meanwhile, carefully pour off any fat from the roasting tin and place it on a medium heat on top of the stove. Pour in the wine carefully scraping up all the juices stuck on the bottom and reduce to a thick glaze. Add the stock, stir well and reduce by half. Strain through a fine sieve into a small saucepan and add the butter and shake the pan gently until all the butter is absorbed. Check and adjust the seasoning.
- Slice the lamb and serve immediately on a bed of wilted spring greens, surrounded by the sauce.
Note. With the bone in the lamb you will need to buy 1.5kg. The butcher will remove it for you or you can do it yourself using short strokes and cutting the meat away from the bone. Add the bone to the roasting pan at the same time as the joint, this will give additional flavour to the sauce and make a nice treat for the dog.