Saturday 19 December 2009

Stuffed Leg of Lamb


For a Sunday roast or entertaining guests, stuffed leg of lamb will become a real favourite. It is quick and easy and if you have your own favourite stuffing recipe you can change the flavour every time you make it by adding seasonal herbs and varying the spices.

At Christmas replace the allspice with 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg and the apricots with 50g chestnuts.



Ingredients

75g dried apricots, chopped
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges plus the juice of 1 orange
75g toasted hazelnuts, chopped
1tbsp ground allspice
50g fresh breadcrumbs
50g Bulgar wheat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 leg of lamb about 2 kg, boned

For the gravy
175ml white wine
300 mls lamb stock (chicken stock will do)
1tbsp redcurrant jelly

To make the stuffing

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until softened
Remove from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients, except the lamb
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4
Pack the majority of the stuffing down the leg, lengthwise, then roll the meat up and tie it with string at intervals of 1 inch
Put the rest of the stuffing in a heatproof dish, add 1tbsp hot water and set aside
To cook the lamb
Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting tin, add some freshly ground pepper
Roast, allowing 55 minutes per kilo
30 minutes before the end of cooking time, place the extra stuffing in the oven
At the end of cooking, rest the lamb under foil for 20 minutes
To make the sauce
Skim the fat from the roasting tin, place the tin over a moderate heat and stir in the wine
Bring to the boil and boil briskly until slightly thickened. Whisk in the redcurrant jelly
Season and serve with the lamb

To accompany the lamb
New potatoes tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with chopped Rosemary and roasted in their skins
Green beans
Parsnip puree. Peel and chop 500g of parsnips, boil in salted water until soft. Drain and puree with 2tbsp double cream and freshly grated nutmeg.

Tip
If you are entertaining guests, prepare the Lamb the day before and remove from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.

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