Donkey and Sheep in a Meadow, Thomas Sidney Cooper, 1880

HERE is the first of my recipes for the Easter menu featured in the previous entry: Roast leg of lamb. This traditional dish has great symbolic significance. It represents ceaseless joy and imperishable love. It links us to the eternal sacrifice and one moment in history. We celebrate the springtime of our spiritual condition:

For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. (Song, 2:11-13)

Easter is the most joyful day of the year. But as with all holiday feasts, it is also the setting for domestic warfare. One one side are the forces of expectation and tradition. On the other, tedium and hard work. To make this battle less costly and the casualties light, I have chosen an easy recipe. It is not elaborate but it is delicious. It comes from a family cookbook assembled over the course of many months by my mother and aunt. The recipes were collected from aunts, uncle, friends and my 30-plus first cousins on my mother’s side. There are a number of typographical errors in this cookbook, phrases such as “add a dash of dalt,” but none appear here. Almost all of the recipes are excellent. This is especially good.

It is extremely important not to overcook lamb because it loses all of its delicacy when it is well done. It should be pink on the inside. A temperature of 130 to 135 Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer usually renders it medium rare. Check the temperature at the thickest part of the leg.

Roasted Leg of Lamb with White Wine and Garlic

5-6 lb. lamb leg with bone
2-4 cloves garlic, cut into large slivers
6 Tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
1/2 cup scallions, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/3 cup celery diced
2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock

With a knife, cut slits through skin of lamb and insert garlic slivers. Rub lamb with two tablespoons butter and sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground pepper. (Fresh rosemary is also good.) Sauté vegetables in two tablespoons butter for five minutes. Spread in roasting pan; place lamb on top. Pour one cup wine over vegetables. Roast basting occasionally at 325 Fahrenheit degrees, approximately 20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature of the meat, measured with a meat thermometer, should be 130 to 135 Fahrenheit for medium rare. Approximately forty minutes before the roast is done, remove vegetables and discard. Add stock and one cup wine to juice and heat to thicken slightly, scraping any browned bits from pan into the sauce. Let lamb stand for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with sauce.

Serves at least eight people.

                             — Comments —

Bruce B. writes:

Thank you for posting the lamb recipe. My wife thinks that lamb is strong as in “gamy.” There is a distinct flavor compared to beef but I don’t consider that flavor “strong.” I’m going to try to talk her into serving it this year. 

I look forward to the French Rolls recipe. I tried the Duggar family’s recipe for dinner rolls and they didn’t come out too good (I think I may have killed the yeast).

Laura writes:

You’re welcome.

Lamb tastes especially gamy when it is overcooked. In fact, it can be downright awful. It’s best when it’s red in the very center of the meat.

You may have killed the yeast, or perhaps you let the dough rise for too short a time in a cold place.

Please follow and like us: