Naked Chef's Roast Leg of Lamb
1 leg of lamb (4 1/2 lbs)
1 handful fresh sage
1 clove garlic
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
olive oil
1 handful fresh rosemary
3 ounces pancetta, sliced
With a knife, follow the lamb bone down about 4 inches (you are just
making a tunnel where you are cutting the meat away from the bone).
Do this from the top end and the bottom end. Pierce the skin at an
angle with a sharp pointed knife 6 to 8 times at random around the
leg. Where you have made the incisions, open them up a bit by poking
your fingers down in them to make a bit of space.
Using a pestle and mortar smash up half the sage with the garlic and
1 teaspoon of salt. When its pulped, add the lemon juice, 2
tablespoons of olive oil, the other half of the sage and the
rosemary roughly chopped. Stuff the mixture into all the incisions
and gaps you have made with the knife. Then stuff the pancetta deep
into the gaps along the bone and the incisions. This gives a lovely
fragrant flavor to the meat. Season with salt and place directly on
oven shelf in a pre-heated oven 425�F until cooked.
Jamie Oliver |