Recipe: How to make a perfect leg of lamb for holiday entertaining

In my childhood home we had a leg of lamb two Sundays a month I loved those Sundays as did my Shetland sheepdog who was the recipient of the leftover bone Mom s recipe was simple The meat was topped with olive oil salt and pepper prior to roasting This recipe takes it up a notch making it the perfect entr e for special occasion holiday entertaining This approach studs the meat with little bouquets made of rosemary sprigs slivered garlic and anchovies Don t be put off by the anchovies they taste delicious offering just-right saltiness Plan ahead when making this version it tastes best if it is seasoned to days in advance and stored in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovy Rosemary Garlic and Piment d Espelette Yield to INGREDIENTS whole bone-in leg of lamb to pounds preferably with hip bone removed with -inch layer of fat see cook s notes large garlic cloves peeled cut into thin slivers anchovy fillets rinsed patted dry and cut into little pieces leafy sprigs rosemary cut into pieces teaspoons kosher salt teaspoons piment d Espelette see cook s notes to tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil cup dry white wine or dry vermouth A leg of lamb is shown with bouquets of rosemary sprigs garlic and anchovies inserted before roasting Photo by Cathy Thomas Cook s notes My local supermarket rarely carries legs of lamb I guess it is because it is so darn expensive Markets such as Whole Foods Bristol Farms and Gelson s have them I tested the recipe using a smaller bone-in leg for this recipe one that is severed at the knee weighing only a little less than pounds I use of the amount of garlic anchovy rosemary and salt and reduced the roasting time by about minutes roasting it only minutes after turning the oven temperature down Yes my guests will get smaller servings but I make up for it by providing loads of vegetables Piment d Espelette is a brick-red powder made from chilies from the town of Espelette in the Basque region of France It is milder than cayenne its light heat is nuanced with sweetness If you prefer substitute hot paprika not smoked paprika DIRECTIONS Related Articles These holiday cocktail recipes will raise the bar at your next party Vegan Pesto Cavatelli celebrates old-world flavors in a new way Here s how to create a tasty healthier Hanukkah Panforte an Italian holiday tradition worth repeating The Splat method gives latkes crispy texture Using the tip of a paring knife make small holes on all sides of lamb Stuff each hole with a sliver of garlic a bit of anchovy and a small sprig of rosemary leaving the tips of the rosemary sticking out It may help to gather the seasonings into a little bouquet and use the point of the knife to tuck a bouquet into each hole Season surface with salt and piment d Espelette Set in a large baking dish and refrigerate uncovered or loosely covered for to days Let lamb come to room temperature for about hours before roasting Arrange oven rack in the lower third of oven and heat to degrees degrees convection Roasting Rub surface with olive oil Place lamb with the rounder meatier side up in roasting pan just large enough to accommodate it it s fine if the top of the shank rests on the edge of the roasting pan Roast minutes and then pour wine over lamb Lower temperature to degrees degrees convection Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of the leg reaches to degrees for rare about hour from the time you lowered the oven heat or to degrees for medium rare about hours Remove lamb to carving board preferably one with a trough to rest for to minutes Tilt roasting pan and spoon off as much of the clear fat as you can Using a wooden spoon scrape up the pan drippings if they are too stuck to the pan to scrape up add cup water to dissolve them Set aside the pan drippings to drizzle over the carved lamb Carve and serve drizzled with the pan drippings or layer the slices in the roasting pan so they soak up the pan juices and serve family style I really like this soak-in-the-pan approach from the roasting pan Source Adapted from All About Roasting by Molly Stevens W W Norton