Roast Leg of Lamb with Anchovy Crust
Ingredients
1 leg of spring lamb
4 cloves garlic
50g anchovies
4 tablespoons olive oil (or more if needed)
6-8 sprigs rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Description
On one of our recent journeys to France, we visited a friend in St Remy – Nito Carpita – and she cooked us a leg of lamb. It was late spring and the leg was tiny and tender, studded with fresh young sprigs of rosemary, and anointed with an aromatic paste made from garlic and very good tinned anchovies. It was a memorable meal, enjoyed in their Provencal guest house, Mas de Cornud, set in lovely country-style grounds. This is my version of Nito’s dish.
Method
Cut any extra fat and skin from the lamb. Make a few shallow slashes in the surface of the meat. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
To prepare the anchovy crust, place the garlic and the anchovies in a mortar and pound until they make a paste. Add the olive oil, a few drops at a time, until it is all incorporated and becomes a smooth, moist paste. If it is too stiff add a little extra olive oil.
Smear this paste over the surface of the lamb on all sides. Cut tiny incisions in the surface and stick the rosemary sprigs into the meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (If the anchovies are highly salted, don’t add any extra salt.)
Place the leg of lamb in a roasting pan and put in the oven. Cook for an hour and a half until the juices run very pale pink and almost clear. Leave to stand for at least 10 minutes, covered with foil, so the lamb juices set. Carve into rosy slices and serve with potatoes and a garden-fresh green vegetable or salad.
Serves 6 to 8 .
Categories
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