Rosemary flowering in our gardenThis weekend I made roast lamb, though there is nothing remarkable in that. I do it almost every week as, I am sure, do many Aussie families. I’ve not yet landed on the perfect roast lamb recipe but I have done it several ways and the recipe that follows is one of my favourite combinations.
To a novice cook, a roast might look like a daunting prospect. One might imagine medieval banquet tables, groaning with food. The truth is a far cry from this because a roast is a most simple and comforting thing to cook. There’s a little bit of staggered preparation and then you may go on your merry way while your home fills with gorgeous Sunday scent.
Below are the only ingredients I’m going to insist on, add whatever other vegies you like. I like sweet potato, onion and beetroot roasted, and some steamed greens as well. I feed six with this recipe, but obviously with more vegies you could make it go further.
1.5 kg leg of lamb
30 cm sprig rosemary, strip the leaves off the stalk (if you’re getting it from a supermarket go home and plant a bush, the difference in flavour is astonishing)
about 6 average sized garlic cloves, quartered
1/2 cup red wine (If you don’t have that lying around, you really should open a new bottle for this, not just because it is so essential to the flavour, but just because any excuse to open a bottle of red is a good thing!)
2 tabs extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
6 potatoes, cut into 3rds
1 tab honey
1 tab soy sauce
2 tabs flour
2 cups beef stock
Preheat your oven to 180℃ while you prepare the lamb. Put it in a baking dish and make 16 slits, about 2 cm deep, in the top. Into each press 1/4 clove of garlic with 6 or so leaves of rosemary then pour over 1/4 cup of red wine and 1 tablespoon olive oil. I rub the olive oil in a bit but there really is no need, sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper and put the leg in the oven.
About half an hour later, when you’ve had a glass of red and a second scan of the Sunday paper, get started on the roast vegetables. Cut them all up so they’re around the same size, throwing them in a plastic bag as you go. Pour in the other tablespoon of olive oil, and give a quick grind of salt and pepper. If you’ve still got a few leaves of rosemary lying around, throw them in too then give everything a good shake so it’s covered in oil, pour them into a baking tray and make sure everything has a rounded-side-down (if the flat side is down they will stick to the tray and make a big mess and deprive you of half your vegetables when you go to serve.) and pop this in the oven.
The roast should take about 2 hours in total, by which time your roast veg will also be done. Give the leg a jab with a skewer a few times in different places, it’s good if the juices run clear on the outsides but it’s still a bit bloody and rare in the middle. Take it out, set it aside to rest with a tent of al-foil over it and get on with your gravy. (This is a good time to steam your vegies as well.)
Pour most of the fat out (we keep an empty tin can in the freezer for this purpose) and then throw the flour in the baking dish and stir it around to absorb what’s left. Put the dish on the stove on a medium/low heat and pour in the beef stock, honey, soy sauce and remaining red wine. You’ll need to simmer this, stirring for 5 minutes or so til it thickens up and becomes a good consistency. I strain mine into a jug when it’s done.
The final and possibly most stressful job is serving. I like to heat the plates in the oven as it cools, this takes most of the stress out of serving as I know the meal is not going to get cold as I wait for the last vegies to cook, or quickly reheat the gravy. It’s also handy if you can get someone else to carve for you. Your table needs mint jelly to accompany this and maybe some sour cream for the potatoes if you have it to hand.
Try to muster up a flustered and stressed demeanour as you sit down to eat your meal, you wouldn’t want your guests to know that such a delicious dinner was a breeze for their hostess!
To a novice cook, a roast might look like a daunting prospect. One might imagine medieval banquet tables, groaning with food. The truth is a far cry from this because a roast is a most simple and comforting thing to cook. There’s a little bit of staggered preparation and then you may go on your merry way while your home fills with gorgeous Sunday scent.
Below are the only ingredients I’m going to insist on, add whatever other vegies you like. I like sweet potato, onion and beetroot roasted, and some steamed greens as well. I feed six with this recipe, but obviously with more vegies you could make it go further.
1.5 kg leg of lamb
30 cm sprig rosemary, strip the leaves off the stalk (if you’re getting it from a supermarket go home and plant a bush, the difference in flavour is astonishing)
about 6 average sized garlic cloves, quartered
1/2 cup red wine (If you don’t have that lying around, you really should open a new bottle for this, not just because it is so essential to the flavour, but just because any excuse to open a bottle of red is a good thing!)
2 tabs extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
6 potatoes, cut into 3rds
1 tab honey
1 tab soy sauce
2 tabs flour
2 cups beef stock
Preheat your oven to 180℃ while you prepare the lamb. Put it in a baking dish and make 16 slits, about 2 cm deep, in the top. Into each press 1/4 clove of garlic with 6 or so leaves of rosemary then pour over 1/4 cup of red wine and 1 tablespoon olive oil. I rub the olive oil in a bit but there really is no need, sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper and put the leg in the oven.
About half an hour later, when you’ve had a glass of red and a second scan of the Sunday paper, get started on the roast vegetables. Cut them all up so they’re around the same size, throwing them in a plastic bag as you go. Pour in the other tablespoon of olive oil, and give a quick grind of salt and pepper. If you’ve still got a few leaves of rosemary lying around, throw them in too then give everything a good shake so it’s covered in oil, pour them into a baking tray and make sure everything has a rounded-side-down (if the flat side is down they will stick to the tray and make a big mess and deprive you of half your vegetables when you go to serve.) and pop this in the oven.
The roast should take about 2 hours in total, by which time your roast veg will also be done. Give the leg a jab with a skewer a few times in different places, it’s good if the juices run clear on the outsides but it’s still a bit bloody and rare in the middle. Take it out, set it aside to rest with a tent of al-foil over it and get on with your gravy. (This is a good time to steam your vegies as well.)
Pour most of the fat out (we keep an empty tin can in the freezer for this purpose) and then throw the flour in the baking dish and stir it around to absorb what’s left. Put the dish on the stove on a medium/low heat and pour in the beef stock, honey, soy sauce and remaining red wine. You’ll need to simmer this, stirring for 5 minutes or so til it thickens up and becomes a good consistency. I strain mine into a jug when it’s done.
The final and possibly most stressful job is serving. I like to heat the plates in the oven as it cools, this takes most of the stress out of serving as I know the meal is not going to get cold as I wait for the last vegies to cook, or quickly reheat the gravy. It’s also handy if you can get someone else to carve for you. Your table needs mint jelly to accompany this and maybe some sour cream for the potatoes if you have it to hand.
Try to muster up a flustered and stressed demeanour as you sit down to eat your meal, you wouldn’t want your guests to know that such a delicious dinner was a breeze for their hostess!
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