This Recipe is part of the Taste of Ireland St. Patrick’s Day Menu
It has been said that as roast beef is to England, roast lamb is to Ireland. This is a quintessential dish for an Irish feast.
Ingredients
One 5- to 6-lb/2.5- to 3-kg leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
6 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered lengthwise
12 small sprigs thyme
4 tbsp butter, softened
Salt and pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 500°F/260°C (Gas Mark 10).
2. With the tip of a small, sharp knife, make 24 small incisions all over the skin of the lamb. Push a quarter of a garlic clove into each of them. With the same knife, make 12 more incisions, evenly distributed around the leg, and push a sprig of thyme into each of them. Brush butter all over the lamb leg and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the lamb on a low rack in a roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Reduce the temperature to 350°F/175°C (Gas Mark 4) and continue to roast for about 1 hour for medium-rare lamb, basting occasionally. (For medium lamb, roast 20 minutes longer; for well-done lamb, roast another 20 minutes.)
4. Allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
Serves 6 to 8
Excerpted from The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews. Photography by Christopher Hirsheimer. Text copyright © 2009 by Colman Andrews. Photo copyright © 2009 by Christopher Hirsheimer. Excerpted by permission of Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book!
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