Food column: Greek-style Leg of Lamb

With Easter and Passover approaching, home menus inevitably turn to seasonal items like lamb, brisket and latkes. I like all of them, but my favorite is still leg of lamb. This version is one I learned back in college, when the earth was young, from a student with Greek heritage.

Boneless legs of lamb are easier to carve, but you’ll sacrifice some of the delicious juiciness you’ll get if you leave the leg bones in. The key to this recipe is the preparation of the lamb before roasting. It takes a bit of time but is worth it. Doing it three or four hours before, or even the night before, will enhance the flavor significantly. Serve it up with some oven-roasted potatoes and your favorite vegetables and you’re good to go!

Greek-style Leg of Lamb
Servings: 8 to 10

Prep time: 1 hour for the lamb, 3 to 4 hours or overnight for marinating, approximately 2 hours roasting
For the lamb
A semi-boneless leg of lamb, pelvic bone removed, then tied.
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 or 4 garlic cloves, cut into small slivers
Kosher salt
Juice of 1 lemon
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stems removed and roughly chopped
For the mirepoix
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 celery ribs, chopped
Flour as needed
2 to 3 cups chicken stock

In a small bowl, mix the pepper and cinnamon. Then, with a sharp paring knife, make a little hole in the meat and, holding the knife to one side to keep the hole open, sprinkle a little of the spice mix into the hole and then plug it with a sliver of garlic.

Take remaining spice mix (if you don’t have any left make just a bit more), combine it with the lemon juice and rub it all over the leg. Sprinkle the rosemary over the lamb and let it sit, refrigerated, for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Let it stand at room temperature for an hour before roasting.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Scatter the mirepoix in a roasting pan and place the prepared leg, fat side up, on top of the vegetables. Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the meatiest portion of the leg reads 130 degrees for rare, 140 degrees for medium or 150 for well done, about 1 to 2 hours more.

Remember that internal temperature will jump another 5 degrees or so while the meat rests out of the oven.

While the lamb is resting, make the gravy. Place the roasting pan over a stove-top burner(s) at low heat, and add just enough flour to the pan to take up the fat rendered during the roasting process, making a roux. Don’t worry about vegetables you may think are too dark, the gravy will be richer and more flavorful because of them.

Cook the roux for a minute, until fragrant and bubbly, then add the chicken stock, stirring constantly. Increase the heat just a bit, until the gravy starts to thicken, adding more stock if need be, to get a not-too-thick gravy. Strain the gravy through a sieve into a bowl and keep warm.

Carve the lamb into slices and serve with the gravy.

If you have mint jelly, leave it in the refrigerator!