Lamb Leg, Roasted, With Soy-Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

By arthurlemay

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 pound leg of lamb
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 24 small red potatoes, scrubbed
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 150mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the lamb in a large, flameproof baking pan. Using a small, sharp knife, make thin slits all along the top of the lamb. stud the top with the slices of garlic, inserting the about 1/2-inch onto the flesh so they stick out. Rub the top of the lamb with the olive oil, half of the vinegar and half of the soy sauce. Let marinate, covered and refrigerated, for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Sprinkle the lamb with half of the herbs and a generous grinding of pepper.Arrange the potatoes and whole garlic cloves around the lamb. Pour the remaining vinegar and soy sauce over the potatoes and garlic. Sprinkle the remaining herbs over the vegetables.

Roast the lamb for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until the internal temperature reaches125 degrees for rare meat, about 12 minutes per pound, or about an hour and twenty minutes.

After about 45 minutes of cooking, add 3/4 cup of the wine around the lamb, basting it. Turn the vegetables over so they brown on both sides.

When the roast is done, remove the roasting pan from the oven. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before carving.

Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish, leaving a few cloves of garlic in the pan.

Discard any excess fat from the pan. Place the pan over two burners. Add the remaining wine and the water and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, scraping up up any browned bit from the bottom. Let the pan juices simmer until just thickened and reduced slightly, 5-10 minutes. Mash any garlic left in the pan into the pan juices. Season to taste.

Cut the lamb into thin slices and serve with the potatoes and garlic. Serve the pan juices on the side.