Main – Roast Lamb

From page 199 of The New English Kitchen.

I like cooking roast lamb the French way, over a layer of chopped vegetables, then chucking in a little water or stock near the end of cooking. You end up with juicy lamb that is pink in the centre, plus a rich, clear, russet gravy. Raymond Blanc cooks lamb this way in his book, Cooking for Friends (Headline, 1991), a second-hand copy of which is well worth seeking out for its wonderful recipes for home cooking.

Suitable roasting joints include a leg or half leg of lamb, or a boned and rolled shoulder.

Serves 6

4 tablespoons of olive oil
a few lamb bones (the butcher should be only too happy to give them to you)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2kg leg of lamb
a large pinch of dried rosemary, or 1 sprig fresh rosemary
a large pinch of dried thyme
3 tomatoes, chopped
600ml water or meat stock
1 glass of white wine (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Heat the oil in a roasting tin on the hob and brown the lamb bones in it. Add the vegetables and garlic and mix well with the oil. Rub the lamb with a little more oil and place it on top of the bones and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and scatter the rosemary and thyme over everything.

Transfer to the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, tilt the roasting tin and spoon out any excess fat. Add the tomatoes, water or stock and the wine, if using, and return the tin to the oven. Reduce the heat to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and cook for a further 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, put the lamb in a dish and leave to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes, covered with foil.

Strain the juices from the roasting tin into a warm jug, discarding the vegetables and bones. Add any juices that seep from the resting joint of lamb. Serve the lamb with the juices.