Tag-Archive for » Leg «
This is a wonderful recipe I made this with lamb shanks as I was only making for 2. I added more vegetables to make this a good main dish, as I am trying to cook less starchy carbs in the evening and I would usually serve this over mash potato to soak up all the gravy. I will look forward to trying this again with a leg of lamb when I am cooking for more people either way it works really well. The lamb comes out so tender and really is just falling apart. I had to literally hold the meat on the bone so it looked good enough for a photo. A truly excellent recipe that would be a definite crowd pleaser. If you want to read more reviews or see more photos of this dish please click here.
Ingredients
1 (3 kg) Leg of lamb (I did lamb shanks as I was only making for 2)
4 onions, peeled and sliced
8-12 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
4 large carrots, peeled and quartered length ways
300 ml white wine
300 ml stock (I did half chicken and half beef as it was not listed.)
2 tablespoons armagnac or madeira wine
salt and pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Sprigs fresh rosemary (my addition)
As I said above I added more vegetables being parsnips and leeks along with the carrots and onions, I halved the onion amount as I was adding 2 leeks to mix it up a bit. I also thickened at the end with some chicken gravy granules not many as to spoil the wonderful natural taste the lamb had imparted into the liquid stock.
Method
TRADITIONAL OVEN METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 120 degrees C or 100 F, gas mark 1/2. Season the leg of lamb with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Put the casserole or roasting tin on the hob and brown the lamb thoroughly on all sides (it is important to do this now as the meat will not brown in the oven). If the lamb sticks add a little oil to the casserole. Use the cooker extractor fan to disperse any smoke. Drain away any fat that has gathered in the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the vegetables to the casserole along with the white wine and stock. Season and bring to the boil.
4. Put on the lid or cover tightly with tin foil and place in the pre heated oven. Bake for 7 hours, turning twice during this time. The meat will be cooked after 5 hours and offer no resistance to the knife.
5. The meat requires no resting time when cooked in this way. Transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving platter. Strain the meat juices into a jug and pour or blot away the fat with kitchen paper. Pour the juices into a pan and boil vigorously until reduced by a quarter.
6. Adjust the seasoning and add the Armagnac or Madeira. Garnish the lamb with the sprigs of thyme and serve with the sauce. Use a spoon to carve and serve the lamb – a la cuillere as the French call it. It will be tender, succulent and delicious !
CROCK-POT COOKING METHOD
1. Carry out steps 3 and 4 as shown above; then place into the crock-pot and cook on high for 2 hours and then on low for about 6 hours, or until the lamb is cooked as instructed above – soft and spoonable!
Serve as before.
All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.
Legs of lamb are on special at the store at the moment, with 10 CHF off a kilo, so well worth enjoying at that price. They were selling them on the bone and off, I bought a de-boned leg of about 900g of meat. I served this with buttery mushrooms, celeriac and carrot and braised onions. I do usually make this with baby onions, but I could not find any, and I went to 2 stores, so I gave up in the end and bought shallots instead, worked fine and tasted fine but it is better with baby onions. I made this for myself, hubby and son and thought there would be left overs, but they ate all the meat, I think they were just being a bit piggy as this should have served 4 easily. So serving size depends on what kind of appetites you are cooking for, if like my men they are quite big eaters, I would serve some potato with this, either mash or some nice roast ones, you could even make stuffing balls. If you have read any of my recent posts lately you will have read that my hubby and I are trying not to eat to many carbs in the evening, hence I didn’t make any with ours.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Onion, sliced thinly
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
900g-1kg lamb leg, boned
1 Cup dry white wine
3 Sprigs fresh rosemary
10 Sprigs fresh thyme
1 Teaspoon mustard seeds
11/2 Cups water
2 Teaspoons beef stock
1kg celeriac, sliced
2 Medium carrots, cut into strips, 5mm approx
100ml Cream
2 Tablespoons cornflour
1/4 Cup seeded mustard
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped finely
Braised Onions
2 Tablespoons olive oil
400g Baby Onions
1/2 Dry white wine
1/2 Cup beef stock
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Teaspoon sugar
Buttery Mushrooms
400g Mixed mushrooms, chopped and sliced (Anything you like Swiss brown, oyster, shitake, enoki, chantrelles etc…)
50-70g Herbed butter
Method
1. Add lamb to a heated pan and cook, until, browned all over, remove, set to one side. Heat olive oil in same pan add onion and garlic, cook, stirring, until onion is soft, return lamb.
2. Add wine, herbs, seeds, stock and water, simmer covered, 1 hour.
3. Add celeriac, simmer covered, for further 20-30 Min’s until lamb and celeriac are tender, add carrots about 15 Min’s before lamb is finished, carrots will just be cooked, add with celeriac if you prefer your carrots quite tender.
4. Remove lamb, celeriac and carrot cover and keep warm. Strain liquid into a smaller pan, add cream, simmer uncovered, 5 Min’s. Blend a little water with the cornflour, add to sauce, stir until mixture boils and thickens.
Serve lamb sliced with celeriac, carrot, sauce, buttery mushrooms, braised onions and sprinkle with parsley.
Braised Onions
1. Heat oil in a pan, add onions, cook, stirring, about 10 Min’s or until onions are browned.
2. Add wine, stock, vinegar and sugar, simmer covered, 30 Min’s, remove lid simmer uncovered a further 10 Min’s or until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
Buttery Mushrooms
1. Melt butter in a pan add mushrooms, cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are tender and cooked as desired. (I say this as I like to brown mine a little.)
To Serve: Slice lamb and arrange on a serving platter plate with vegetables, onions and mushrooms. Pour a little sauce over the lamb sprinkle with parsley and serve the extra sauce in a gravy boat on the side.
All photos taken by me unless otherwise stated.
