Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic, and Rosemary
- 4-lb leg of lamb
- Two 2-oz cans anchovies
- A small bunch of rosemary
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced lengthways into 3 pieces
- 6 tbsp butter, softened
- Black pepper
- 1/2 750 ml-bottle white wine
- Juice of 1 lemon
- A bunch of watercress, to garnish
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- With a small sharp knife, make about 12 incisions 2 inches deep in the fleshy side of the leg.
- Insert a piece of garlic, half an anchovy, and a small sprig of rosemary into each incision.
- Push all of them right in with your little finger.
- Cream the butter with any remaining anchovies and smear it all over the surface of the meat.
- Grind over plenty of black pepper.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan and pour the wine around.
- Tuck in any leftover sprigs of rosemary and pour over the lemon juice.
- Put in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 350F and roast the lamb for a further hour, or slightly more, depending on how well-done you like your meat.
- Baste from time to time with the winy juices.
- Take the meat out of the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving.
- Meanwhile, taste the juices and see if any salt is necessaryit shouldnt be because of the anchovies.
- During the roasting process the wine should have reduced somewhat, and mingled with the meat juices and anchovy butter to make a delicious gravy.
- If you find it too thin, then a quick bubble on the burner should improve the consistency.
- When it comes to good food smells, this is one of the best, because as you slice the lamb the waft of garlic, rosemary, and anchovy hits you head on.
- Once again, mashed potatoes are good with this.
lamb, anchovies, rosemary, garlic, butter, black pepper, white wine, lemon
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/roast-leg-of-lamb-with-anchovy-garlic-and-rosemary (may not work)