In The Iliad, Homer speaks of the Greeks roasting lamb on a spit, and serving it at celebrations. Thus, the entire idea of roasting lamb has had centuries to marinate, as it were, and take hold in different cultures in different ways. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino reminds me this is the perfect time of year to enjoy
this venerable tradition.
When we talk about lamb and traditions, we should quickly mention the ingredients that are most compatible with it. Top of the list is garlic, followed by rosemary, thyme and lemon. Olive oil will undoubtedly make an appearance, and quite possibly wine too.
You can get leg of lamb boneless or bone-in. Boneless is a little easier to work with, but the bone does give the entire roast some solid structure. Regardless, remove as much fat as possible to cut down on the overly strong taste.
The classic treatments for seasoning leg of lamb is to rub lightly with olive oil, and then hit it with salt and pepper. Simple. Then, one of those great tricks: using a small sharp knife, you poke tiny slots into the fatty side of the lamb, about 2 inches deep. Slice you garlic thin, pull off your rosemary and thyme leaves, and stuff it all into the little holes. As the lamb cooks, it absorbs these flattering flavors.
For all roast lamb recipes you can figure on a long slow roast at 350°. For medium-rare doneness, shoot for an internal temperature of 135°. For well-done
let it hit 160°. And always start with a room-temperature roast, and always let it rest for at least a half hour before carving. (Make a little aluminum foil tent to keep it warm.) Those are the basics, now the variations.
Circling back to Greek leg of lamb, the basics are similar. However, many recipes call for making a marinade with lots of lemon juice and olive oil, and lots of dried herbs, especially oregano. The marinade is retained to use as a braising liquid,
which in turn will become the basis for a pan sauce.
Prepare the marinated lamb with the slits and garlic cloves, coat with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper and oregano.
Place on a rack , best side up, in a pan with assorted vegetables underneath it, then add hot water to cover about 1" of the meat. Make a loose tent of tinfoil to cover the roast, and place in the 350° oven.
Since this is braising, you'll want to turn the roast several times. Now to be a true Greek-style roast leg of lamb, you want it to be well done. Keeping the tin-foil tent on the roast will help keep it juicy, and the moderate oven won't rush the process. Again, shoot for 160° internal temperature. Ideally, the meat should fall right off the bone.
To go for a Spanish style, you don't bother with the knife slits. Instead you would rub high quality lard all over the lamb, then coat it with finely dice garlic, and chopped thyme, and then season with salt and pepper. Into the baking pan it goes, perched on top of cut up vegetables. And then the classic Spanish touch: gently pour a flavorful Sherry over the lamb and let it mingle with the water soaked vegetables.
Finally, many French recipes call for a coating to be slathered on the lamb. It usually involves bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, shallots and herbs along with a good dollop of olive oil. Aside from coating the roast, everything else is the same.
And of course remember to roast up some potatoes and serve a good bottle of Bordeaux with your meal.
