Conference turris::cooks

    
    Sliver several garlic buds and stuff the slivers into the deep slits
    along with the rosemary & pepper.  Garlic,lemon & rosemary seem
    to really compliment lamb meat.
                                                
    

    Lamb should not be served without mint sauce. Cross & Blackwell
    makes the best and it is available in most supermarkets. Its delicous..

    Mint sauce is NOT mint jelly.  My mother used to make it, and her
    mother used to make it, and her mother was from Scotland, so I assume
    it's a Gaelic thing.  Anyway, you take a mess of fresh mint, and throw
    it in the blender (or chop most finely) with about 1/2 c water, 1/2 c.
    wine vinegar, and a 1.5 tablespoons of sugar.  Put it in a little tiny
    pitcher and serve.  I'd put about a spoonful on my chunk of lamb.  
    
    Folks out there England, is this how you make it?  Is there anything I
    forgot?
    
    Remember, mint sauce is as different from mint jelly as freeze-dried
    instant coffee is from cappuchino.  Amen!
    
    P.  

    ...use young fresh mint leaves, not stems.  
    
    P.

I was going to post this recipe for lamb chops with savory mint, but I am 
sure it can be adapted to a leg of lamb.


			SAVORY MINT LAMB CHOPS	


1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c chopped fresh mint
4 large garlic gloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp pepper
8  1-1 1/2" thick lamb loin chops, trimmed

Mix olive oil, chopped fresh mint, minced garlic, salt, cumin, coriander and 
both peppers in small bowl.  Spread herb mixture over both sides of the lamb
chops.  Transfer chops to broiler pan, let stand 10 minutes.

Preheat broiler.  Broil chops until brown and crusty, but still medium rare.
about 4 minutes per side.  Arrange on a platter and garnish with fresh mint.

Happen to have a couple of Bon Appetit Magazines with me this week, there were
also some recipes in there for Garlic Studded racks of Lamb and Rack of Lamb 
with a Cumin-Carraway Sauce.  If either of those appeal to you, I will be 
glad to post.

dana

    I'd like to do a leg of lamb for Easter dinner - but I've never tried
    it before.  How big of a leg do I need for 4 people?  About how long
    does it need to roast?  Will I need to "dress" the leg at all?  Of the
    three common rubs in this note (lemon, rosemary, garlic) Garlic is the
    only one I think Dad will eat.  He's not big on mint either.  Any other
    spice/herb suggestions?  
    
    marianne

    You might serve with applesauce if mint is undesirable.
    Personally I like lamb on warm plates to reduce the possibility of
    forming ugly, congealed fat.
    
      John

>How big of a leg do I need for 4 people? 

 You only need half of a leg. Get the shank half and butterfly it.

>About how long does it need to roast?

 If you butterfly it and cook it according to Julia Child's recipe in _The Way
to Cook_, it takes 10 minutes of broiling on two sides and then about 45 minutes 
of roasting. I strongly suggest using Julia's marinade. It's wonderful.
From memory, it has lemon juice, dijon mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic
and rosemary. 

>    it before.  How big of a leg do I need for 4 people?
    
    It depends how big eaters you are. I find a half leg cut more than
    sufficient for 2 big eaters. That's stuffed to the gills and with left
    overs. A half leg cut, with bone, weighs roughly 3 lbs (1.5 Kg). A full 
    leg cut would weigh roughly 6 lbs (3 Kg).
    
    Shoulder of lamb tends to be fatty.
    
>   About how long does it need to roast?
    
    It depends on what you want. I think the conventional roasting time
    suggests (working from memory here) 15 minutes at 200C (400F) and 15
    minutes per lb at 375F or 325F (190C, 170C), but I can't remember
    which. However, the British like their lamb well done i.e. cooked
    through and through, much like pork. The continentals, on the other
    hand, seem to prefer their lamb underdone. Your only fool proof method
    is to determine how your guest like their lamb, then prod the roast
    with a skewer slightly before or after the end of the recommeneded cooking
    time and check the consistency of the juices. Its what I do in my
    imprecise way of cooking.
    
    After experiencing it in Geneva, my wife and I now prefer lamb slightly
    undercooked i.e. pink.
    
>    Will I need to "dress" the leg at all?
    
    Not unless its cold or formal dress is required :-)
    
>    Of the three common rubs in this note (lemon, rosemary, garlic) Garlic 
    is the only one I think Dad will eat.  He's not big on mint either. 
    Any other spice/herb suggestions?  
    
    Lamb is one of those meats taken up by a number of cultures each adding
    their own spice magic. Pick you country and go for it.
    
    The absolute minimum you can get away with is to rub the roast with
    salt and pepper. Really delicious. Another favourite is to use a
    mixture of salt, pepper, ground bay and a smigen of ground mustard.
    
    .9 recommended butterflying the joint. This essentially means boning it
    and the result is a piece of meat looking like a butterfly. I would
    recommend you (or the butcher) do this. But keep the bone; it makes a
    wonderful stock.
    
    There is a famous (least ways I think its famous) mediterranean marinade
    for this butterfly joint. It consists of a generous amount of olive
    oil, a few cloves of crushed garlic, a helping of ground bay and lemon
    juice; salt and pepper is optional. Just mix the whole lot together and
    marinade for 8 hours or more. To cook: stick it under a very hot grill
    (broiler) for 10-15 minutes per side or more if you want it really well
    done. Alternatively, stick it on the barbaque. I suppose you could then
    roll it and roast it as a conventional roast.
    
    A final suggestion. Unless you like fatty lamb, I suggest you score the
    skin/fat of the lamb before roasting.
    
    Angus
                                                 

	I cooked a boned leg of lamb, self-boned so it ended up looking
	not too pretty...8^(}, so I stuffed it...

	1 used breadcrumbs, chopped mushrooms, sweetcorn kernels and
	an egg to bind. Add salt/pepper and preferred herbs etc to taste...

	If you make a lot of stuffing, the rest can be baked separately
	while roasting...

	With/without mint sauce, I thought it really worked...

    A little late for Easter, but maybe next year.
    
    I do A *LOT* of lamb.  Easter means grilled leg of lamb with my special
    marinade.
    
    Take every single visible piece of fat off that lamb.  I mean it!  You
    don't need it and you certainly won't miss the congealed mess that it
    leaves on your plates.  This has got to be one of the most important
    steps to cooking good lamb.  I just don't understand why people who
    will assiduously remove every shred of fat from beef will attempt to
    cook a lamb cut which is covered with an inch of fat!  Get rid of it!
    
    Next, cut a whole bunch of garlic cloves (peeled) into slivers, and go
    bananas with a nice sharp knife.  Stab a hole in the meat, then poke
    the garlic sliver in.  As mich as you like.  
    
    Then, crush up some juniper berries with the flat of a knife.  Don't
    pyuulverize them, just flatten them a bit and break them into small
    pieces if they want to break up.  Rub them all over the meat, inside
    and out.  (You *did* remove the fat from inside, didn't you?)  Then rub
    all over with GOOD BALSAMIC Vinegar.  No substitutes.  Wrap well in
    aluminum foil, let sit in the fridge a couple of days.  (If you aren't
    reading this til the morning of, that's okay too - a couple of hours
    will do nicely but I'd add more balsamic vinegar)
    
    Wrap again in aluminum foil, put over hot coals for a couple of hours,
    turning every 20 minutes.  
    
    Uncover, serve immediately, with the sauce that formed inside the foil,
    and be prepared for the best lamb you've ever had.  
    
    Enjoy,
    Dana

Never tried it with lamb! 

I crust the lamb with grainy dijon mustard. MMmmmMMMMMmmmm ...

~Sheridan~
:^)

Roast leg of lamb with *lots* of garlic is the best roast there is. (I've had a
running battle for the past 20 years to persuade my family to serve it while
it's still pink, though...)

But even better is *cold lamb sandwiches* the next day...chewy white or granary
bread, a thin spread of English or serious Dijon mustard on the lamb and nothing
else...especially the bits of meat between the bones that you can't see to carve
when it's hot....:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 

Helen