Roast Leg of Lamb

__________________________________________________

                            FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

Unlike most groaners, this one is short and to the point. Thanks to
Rosemary Zwick for sharing it with us.

When I was an infant, my mother had to work and hired a French girl to
be my nanny. Instead of the usual strained baby food, she gave me pureed
goose livers as a steady diet. To this day, Mom credits the nanny for pâté training me.

__________________________________________________

                            TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________

In the United States we really don't have a traditional Easter dinner.
Naturally, some families have established their own traditions, but
there is no national consensus on what to eat on Easter as there is on
Thanksgiving, for example. That is not the case in other parts of the
world. In much of Europe and the Middle East, and in Greece in
particular, lamb is the meat of choice for Easter. This recipe for roast
leg of lamb is simple, classic, and remarkably good.

Roast Leg of Lamb

3 lbs (1.5 Kg) or more leg of lamb
5 to 8 cloves of garlic, cut into slivers
15 to 20 1 inch (2 cm) pieces of parsley stem
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
4 to 6 Tbs (60 to 90 ml) melted butter
3 Tbs (45 ml) flour

For the gravy:
1 cup (250 ml) water
2 Tbs (30 ml) butter
2 Tbs (30 ml) flour

Wash and dry the leg of lamb. Make a few cuts in the meat using the
point of a sharp knife and stuff some garlic and parsley stems into each
cut. Rub the lemon juice into the meat and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the flour over the surface of the meat. Roast in a preheated
350F (180C) oven for about 30 minutes per pound (1 hour perkilogram), or
until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F (75C) for medium-rare
to 180 (80C) for well-done. Remove from the pan and allow the roast to
cool for 15 minutes before slicing and arranging the meat on a serving
platter. Meanwhile, pour off and discard the fat from the roasting pan
and add the water, stirring to scrape up all the baked on "brown bits"
in the bottom of the pan. In a small saucepan melt the butter over
moderate heat and add the flour, stirring constantly until it turns
light brown. Add the flour mixture to the water in the roasting pan,
stirring it over low heat until the gravy has thickened. Pour into a
gravy boat and serve with the meat.
Serves 6 to 8, or more depending on the size of the roast.
Received on Tue Sep 22 06:11:09 2009