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PERFECT LAMB ROAST
Perhaps the most basic and always tasty way to prepare lamb is to trim it well and slather it with a thin pesto made of good quality olive oil and a lot of crushed garlic.
Add to the pesto equal proportions of the following: basil, oregano, sage and ground red pepper flakes and mix well, then add juice of a lemon or a dash of soy sauce.
Now, for the most important part of the instructions: As with so many things in life TIMING IS ESSENTIAL. Lamb should never be over cooked. I’m telling you that the maximum you would want to cook (at 375F) a 7 pound leg of lamb is 2 hours! This works out to 15 minutes per pound; 12 minutes per pound is better. If your lamb is a rack, you don’t want to cook it more than 30 minutes. Lamb should be pinkish when it is done (unless you have had the grave misfortune of purchasing mutton labeled as lamb and you must overcook it to tenderize it).
When I prepare a leg of lamb for the two of us, I will always under cook it by about 15-20 minutes. The outer crust and slices are divine, but this leaves us enough for a second meal that will also be wonderful because the meat will not get all stringy and dry when we reheat it.
I must admit that here in Spain, lamb is truly lamb in that it has not been allowed to walk around for more than a few nibbles of grass when it is weaned. Consequently, the flavor is rich and still has the rich underflavor of sheep’s milk. This also makes it extremely tender, so cooking times can be cut even more than the times shown above (about 1/3-1/2 less). |
