GARLIC-ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

By tulawdog

Look for rolled, boneless leg of lamb wrapped in netting, not butterflied and wrapped on a tray. The desirable cut is the "shank end," which is the whole boneless leg without the sirloin muscle attached. If only bone-in or semi-boneless leg is available, ask your butcher to remove the bones for you. Plan on spending about 30 minutes trimming the lamb of fat and silver skin. This advance work is well worth the effort; your roasts will present elegantly and have a much cleaner flavor. (That said, even 10 minutes of trimming will improve the taste dramatically, see instructions below). If you opt for the 30-minute trim, you will have enough meat scraps left over to make the Roasted Garlic Jus. The lamb can be trimmed, brined, rubbed with paste, and tied, then stored overnight in the refrigerator (do not season the meat). Allow the lamb to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

Ingredients

• Lamb and Brine
• 1/4 cup kosher salt (or 2 tablespoons table salt)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 12 medium cloves garlic , crushed
• 5 - 7 pound boneless leg of domestic lamb with sirloin muscle removed
• Garlic-Parsley Paste
• 2 medium heads garlic , outer papery skins removed and top third of head cut off and discarded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

Step 1

1. Combine salt, sugar, and crushed garlic with 2 quarts water in large bowl or container; stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Prepare lamb as shown through illustration 4 (see below, "Preparing the Lamb"). Submerge lamb in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. While lamb brines, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic heads cut side up on sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap foil tightly around garlic; place on baking sheet and roast until cloves are very soft and golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic head to remove cloves from skins. Mash cloves into paste with side of chef's knife. Combine 2 tablespoons garlic paste and parsley in small bowl. (Reserve remaining paste for Roasted Garlic Jus, if making; see related recipe.)
3. Remove lamb from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Finish lamb preparation (illustrations 5 and 6). Season each roast with salt and pepper.
4. Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place lamb roasts in skillet and cook until well browned on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Place skillet in oven and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of each roast reads 125 degrees for medium-rare, or 130 to 135 degrees for medium to medium-well. (Roasting time will range from 8 to 25 minutes depending on size of roasts; begin checking after 7 minutes and transfer each roast to platter as it reaches desired temperature.) Let lamb rest, tented with foil, about 15 minutes. Snip twine off roasts, cut into 1/4-inch slices, and serve.
TECHNIQUE

SHEEP TRICK

Brining doesn't do much for beef--its muscle fibers turn to mush--but the technique works wonders for lamb. The salt breaks down the fibers just enough to tenderize the meat, and the crushed garlic imbues it with deep flavor.


Salt plus...

Garlic plus...

Water
STEP-BY-STEP

PREPARING THE LAMB

You can also simply separate the lamb into 3 roasts (illustration 1) and spend just 10 minutes trimming, concentrating on the exterior fat and gristle, then cut a deep, lengthwise pocket into each roast, rub the paste on the interior surface, and tie the roasts.


1. Unroll lamb. Following natural seams (delineated by lines of fat), separate into three smaller roasts, using sharp boning knife as needed.

2. Trim visible fat and gristle from exterior of each roast. With small, pointed cuts, penetrate deeper to remove interior pockets of gristle, fat, and silver skin. (Roasts open up and flatten slightly during trimming.)

3. As you trim meat, remove any large, meaty scraps that come loose from larger pieces (you will have about 1 1/2 cups scraps). Reserve these for making Roasted Garlic Jus (see related recipe), if desired.

4. Lightly score inside of each roast, making 1/4-inch-deep cuts spaced
1 inch apart in crosshatch pattern.

5. Rub scored surface of brined lamb with garlic-parsley paste, working paste into grooves.

6. Roll into compact roast, tucking in flaps, to form log shape. Tie with twine at 1-inch intervals.