Recipe#12130

Title: Leg Of Lamb 01

Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes 
 Subject: Leg of Lamb 
 Message-ID: <3LLSUI5@taronga.com> 
 Date: Tue, 13 Jul 93 12:37:33 CDT 

Leg of lamb (about 6 pounds)
 8 clove garlic
 juice of one lemon
 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
 salt
 freshly ground black pepper
 Preheat oven to 325F.  Cut eight shallow slits in the surface of the 
 lamb and insert a clove of garlic in each slit.  Brush the lamb with 
 lemon juice, sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper.  Insert a meat 
 thermometer into the thickest part of the roast so the bulb reaches 
 the center but does not touch a bone.  Place the lamb on a rack in a 
 roasting pan and roast for about 20 minutes per pound or until the 
 thermomoeter reaches 150F.  Remove from oven, and let the leg stand 
 uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
 Mint sauce
 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
 2 tablespoons sugar
 1/4 cup boiling water
 3/4 cup cider vinegar
 Place the mint in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar over it.  Crush mint
 and sugar together with the back of a spoon.  Pour in boiling water and 
 let mint steep for five minutes.  Add vinegar to mint and water mixture.
 Taste the sauce and add more sugar if needed.  Heat before serving.
 Yucatan leg of lamb
 1 whole leg of lamb (approx. 6.5 pounds)
 1.5 tbsp. cumin seeds
 3   tbsp. black peppercorns
 3   tbsp. dried orregano leaves
 3   tbsp. dried thyme leaves
 .5  tsp.  sea salt (I use regular salt)
 3-4  dried chipotle chile (essential - these are smoked jalapeno)
 3   tbsp. olive oil
 8 - 10 prickly pear cactus pads (optional - these are sold as nopales)
 salt and pepper to taste
 6 cups reserved lamb stock (I use beef stock with equally good
 results)
 Preheat oven to 325
 Trim fell and fat from leg of lamb. (The fell is is what gives lamb 
 its strong taste. It is important to remove it as thoroughly as
 possible). Remove hip bone with a boning knife (I usually leave this
 on, it just makes carving the lamb a little more difficult). Re-form 
 the lamb and tie tightly with kitchen string. Make a stock with the
 bones and trimmings and set lamb aside, covered with plastic wrap.
 In a small iron skillet, saute the cumin seeds, peppercorns, orregano,
 and thyme over medium heat to release their flavours. Stir frequently
 and remove when they turn brown and start to smoke. Add salt and one
 broken chipotle chili, and grind the mixture into a fine powder in a 
 clean coffee grinder.
 Rub lamb with olive oil and then coat uniformly with generous amounts
 of the spice mixture. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting and roast
 for 1 hour and 15 minutes - until a meat thermometer registers an
 internal temperature of 120 F. Rasie heat to 450 F to brown exterior
 for 5 to 10 minutes (the meat thermometer is important to judge the 
 doneness of the meat). The internal temperature should rise to 130 F.
 Remove from oven and let rest for 15 min. before carving to allow the
 meat juices to be reabsorbed.
 While the lamb is roasting, wash the prickly pear cactus pads in cold
 water, after removing the thorns with a paring knife, brush with olive
 oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill over a low charcoal fire 
 or under a broiler for about 5 min. per side or until tender.
 To make the sauce, pour the fat from the roasting pan and add the 
 lamb stock (or beef stock in my case), and remaining broken chipotles.
 Reduce over high heat, stirring occasionally, until stock is reduced
 by two-thirds. Adjust seasoning. Carve lamb and serve on the platter
 with rice, garnish with cactus pads and spoon sauce over meat.
 Note: Lamb can marinate overnight in the refrigerator, covered with 
 plastic wrap. It is important to let it sit at room temperature for
 4 hours before cooking.