Leg of Lamb with Rosemary

The shrimp and grits last night were a big hit. I was at Fresh Market yesterday picking up the shrimp for last night’s meal and the lamb for tonight’s meal. The butcher was quite funny. Misreading my shopping list I asked for a pound of a leg lamb. With a quizzical brow he went to see if he could cut the monstrous hunk of meat in the case for me. While away I re-read my note to see that it was an entire leg of lamb that I needed and it was to be deboned and tied. He smirks and tells me he can do that no problem. Then while pulling my shrimp he told me they needed to be peeled and deveined. Duh, I laughed. Embarrassing I told him I’ve worked with shrimp before but clearly the lamb was a new adventure for me (at least a leg of lamb). He seemed to understand.

Tonight I get to tackle the leg of lamb. While on deployment my love sent this recipe to me from Men’s Health magazine. It looks relatively easy.

Ingredients:
leg of lamb (3 to 3 1/2 lbs), deboned and tied (optional)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large potatoes, rinsed and cut into wedges
6 garlic cloves
3 large sprigs rosemary
1 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Turn oven to broil. Rub lamb leg with olive oil, then season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.
2. Place lamb in a roasting pan and heat on all sides until browned, about 10 minutes total. Remove lamb from oven and reduce the temperature to 400°F.
3. Add potatoes, garlic, and sprigs of rosemary to the pan. In a bowl, mix wine with 1 cup water and mustard. Pour wine mixture over lamb.
4. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and set lamb in the oven to roast for about 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer reads between 135°F and 140°F.
5. Allow lamb to rest at least 15 minutes before slicing. Carve meat into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, and drizzle with pan sauce and additional olive oil, if desired.