Roasted Leg of Lamb and Rice Pilaf
After I started taking more interest in cooking I learned a lot, and one thing I know is that roasting is done without adding liquid and without tightly covering with foil or a lid. It is also advisable not to dry out the meat, as often happens with lamb braised for hours, where the meat turns almost grey and pulls into threads — a sign that there is no water left in it, even though it has been cooking in sauce the whole time. And while that oven lamb was uniquely delicious to me back then, now I prefer it a different way — truly roasted. Reference and inspiration sources: menumag.bg, chefsteps.com, foodgawker.com (search results for "leg of lamb"). The leg of lamb in this recipe is dry-marinated (only with spices and olive oil) overnight, but it can also be rubbed with them and roasted right away. I present the first method, because when the meat is marinated in advance the flavours are more pronounced. When the meat is left to marinate overnight, the condition is not to salt it. Otherwise the salt would dry it out, which is not the goal. It is rubbed with the spices and olive oil, and the salt is added just before roasting. When the meat is roasted right away, without dry marinating, all the spices, the olive oil and the salt are mixed, the meat is rubbed with them and roasted immediately. I must warn that the meat is not roasted "all the way" or until it falls off the bone. That is also not the goal here. The meat stays juicy, with a pink colour, and has different degrees of doneness depending on its depth — since this is a large piece of meat with a bone, in different places it will be cooked to different degrees. Of course, the meat on the surface of the leg will be better cooked, while the meat around the bone will be medium to rare — the tastiest part for me, by the way. For 4-6 servings.
Ingredients
| 1 | leg of lamb about 2.500 kg, trimmed of excess fat and membranes (for the lamb) |
| 2 супени лъжици | chopped fresh spearmint or mint |
| 2 супени лъжици | chopped fresh lemon thyme |
| 1 чаена лъжица | black peppercorns, finely crushed in a mortar |
| 2 | large garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed |
| 2 супени лъжици | olive oil |
| — | salt, to taste |
| 280 г | basmati rice (for the pilaf) |
| 1 супена лъжица | olive oil |
| 1 | shallot, finely chopped |
| 2 | cardamom pods, lightly crushed |
| 1/2 | Ceylon cinnamon stick |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 650 мл | chicken stock (not from a cube, please), boiling |
| — | salt, to taste |
Instructions
The day before, wash the leg of lamb well under running water and pat it dry well with kitchen paper.
For the marinade, combine the spearmint, thyme, black pepper, garlic and olive oil. Score the surface of the leg with a sharp knife into diamonds or squares, the cut being only deep enough to pierce the topmost layer of the skin and reach the meat. This way the spices will be able to season the surface layer of the meat better. Rub the leg well with the marinade on all sides. Place in a suitable dish, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight. (If the leg is to be roasted right away, add salt to the spices and proceed to roast.)
The next day, take the leg out of the fridge 30-40 minutes before roasting. Heat the oven to 180ºC. Just before roasting, rub the leg with salt to taste. Place in a roasting tin on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Roast for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 67ºC. When measuring the temperature, be careful not to touch the bone. When the leg is done, its surface should be crisp with a dark golden colour. If during roasting the surface starts to darken quickly, cover the leg loosely with aluminium foil, just enough to protect the surface from burning.
When the leg is done, take it out of the oven and let it rest at least 20 minutes before slicing. During this time the internal temperature will rise to about 70ºC. Slice the meat into portions and serve with pilaf and green salads.
For the pilaf, place the rice in a large sieve and wash it gently (so as not to damage the grains) under cold running water. Tip into a bowl and soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain and wash again gently. The purpose of this is to wash as much starch as possible off the rice, so it stays fluffy with separate grains, and also so it cooks faster with minimal heat. Leave the washed rice in a sieve to drain well.
Heat a deep pan or pot (that has a lid) over medium to high heat. Add the olive oil and once it is hot add the shallot, cardamom pods, cinnamon and bay leaf. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the drained rice and stir for about a minute. Add the stock and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Once boiling vigorously, cover with the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook the rice for 10 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat, without taking off the lid, and leave it like that for 15 minutes. After this time remove the lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork before transferring to a serving bowl and serving.