Lamb's Leg with Rosemary & Garlic

Today is New Year's Day & my birthday. I've been waiting for over a month to make my 1st lamb's leg for this special occasion. Even though the butcher told me I needed to make my request 1 week in advance, I lucked out on the 29th. He had one perfect lamb's leg for me ;) We paid roughly $27.50. Considering that it'll serve 8-10 people, that is very economical for a holiday meal! It weighed a little over 3 kilos @7 pounds with the bone and only took 2 days to thaw it out in the refrigerator. This morning I warmed the oven to 425 degrees & prepared the rub. After talking with a couple of people about how to cook a lamb's leg & reading several recipes, I combined a couple & this is what I came up with. This dish is definitely one of my very favorites, it is delicious! It was served with sweet mashed potatoes, wild rice & green salad. Fantastic!

ingredients

1 leg of lamb, bone in(6-7 1/2 pounds)

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice

14 cloves of garlic(cut 6 cloves in 1/2 diagonally to insert)

6 fresh sprigs of fresh rosemary(cut 3 sprigs into 12 pieces to insert w/garlic halves)

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 teaspoons coarse black pepper

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sauce

1 cup fresh herbs(combination of rosemary, chives and parsley)

2 cups diced onions

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup red wine

directions

preheat oven to 400 degrees(425 high altitude)

Using your hands, rub the lamb all over with the lemon juice. Combine 8 cloves of garlic& 3 sprigs of rosemary by chopping in a food processor. Add pepper & pat the garlic and rosemary mixture evenly all over the surface of the meat. Make 12 incisions in the lamb with a small knife and insert the garlic and rosemary. Season the meat with the salt and pepper and place the lamb in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil. Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to cook for about 1 hour longer for medium-rare, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers about 145 degrees F to 150 degrees F (be careful that the thermometer does not touch the bone.) I took my leg out at 160 degrees & it was just perfect! Remove lamb from pan and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Position the roasting pan over your stove burners. Add mixed herbs and onions to pan, and stir to combine with pan drippings. Add chicken stock and wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any fond. Reduce over high heat until sauce consistency. Strain before serving, if desired. Slice lamb and serve with sauce drizzled over the top.

Need further encouragement, check out this video example & you'll see that you can't go wrong in trying:

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-roast-leg-of-lamb