Roasted Leg of Lamb
(Serves 6)
A boneless lamb leg is a great piece of meat to roast. It’s a tender cut of meat, full of flavor, that lends itself to assertive spices. But what I learned is that it doesn’t need long cooking to finish, and overcooking it toughens the meat.
The marinade I used here was a real mash-up of nationalities - Chinese Szechuan peppers, cinnamon, and cloves, with Moroccan/ North African-influenced cumin, fennel, and coriander. I marinated the meat for about 24 hours.
To play off the spicy, smoky flavors, I made a sauce flavored with Sherry vinegar and a reduction of a robust, rustic Sangiovese-based red like Chianti Classico. I also made a cream of coconut, whipping cream, and poached Belgian Bosque pears with Gruner Veltliner, spiced with a bit of paprika.
This dish turned out to be a pretty decent dinner for me and my guests last evening!
Ingredients
1.3kg boneless leg of lamb, tied with butchers’ string
For the Marinade
1 tbsp Szechuan peppers
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp cumin
4 cloves crushed garlic, skin on
1 tbsp sugar
2/3 tbsp kosher salt
For the Wine Sauce
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
120ml Chianti Classico
300ml chicken stock
2 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 leeks, sliced
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 onion, sliced
Drippings from roasting the leg of lamb
60g butter
For the Coconut and Pear Cream
250ml whipping cream
100ml Coconut milk
100ml of strained Belgian Poached Pear in Gruner Veltiner
Marinate the lamb overnight. Score cross hatch patterns on the skin of the leg of lamb, and rub in the marinade well.
When ready to cook the lamb, start off by searing the lamb all round on a hot skillet with some oil. Next, pop it into an oven set at 165 deg C for an hour, turning once.
Prepare the wine sauce. Saute the vegetables in some butter. Add in the Chianti Classico and reduced until about 2-3 tablespoon of liquid. Ladle in the chicken stock, and reduce further, by half. Strain the liquids into a smaller pot.
Take out the lamb leg, and set aside for about 20 minutes to settle. Meanwhile, spoon out some of the pan drippings (sans the oil and fat) and add them into the wine sauce. Thicken with butter and set aside.
While the lamb is resting, prepare the rest of any vegetables you want to serve - I simply poached some delicious asparagus spears and Japanese chili in butter, and roasted some potatoes.
Make the Cream. First, peel and slice 2 conference or Bosque pears into rough chunks. Add 1 tbsp of golden caster sugar, 4 cloves, 1 star anise, and 120ml of Gruner Veltliner or Riesling wine into a pot, and cook and reduce for about 20 minutes. Strain out the liquids - about 100ml worth. Cool the liquid down quickly in the freezer. Add 100ml of this strained liquid, 100ml of coconut milk, and 250ml of whipping cream into a ISL whipper; mix well, and chill in the fridge.
When the lamb is ready to be served, carve and plate the lamb. Spoon some of the wine sauce over the meat, and foam the coconut cream, sprinkling some smoked paprika over it. Plate the vegetables, and voila! Ready to go!
Wine Suggestion: I’d opt for a merlot, but since I had a bottle of Chianti Classico already opened, I used that instead!