Heston’s Roast leg of lamb
Ingredients
1.8-2.2kg whole leg of lamb
Sea salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved (germ removed)
12 anchovies, sliced in half lengthways
15g pack of fresh rosemary (7-8 sprigs)
3 tbsp groundnut oil
For the sauce:
100ml dry white wine
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
500g Heston from Waitrose Chicken Stock
Method
Season the lamb with salt. Cut the garlic into slivers. Take a slice of anchovy and wrap it round a sliver of garlic and 2 rosemary leaves. Continue until all the anchovies have been used.
Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, add the lamb and sear until golden brown on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pan and place on a board.
Using a sharp knife, cut slits in the surface of the lamb at regular intervals. Use a small spoon to enlarge the holes and stuff them with the anchovies, garlic and rosemary.
Place the remaining sprigs of rosemary in the bottom of a roasting pan and place the lamb on top. Pour 150ml water into the bottom of the pan and cook as recommended on the packaging, or to your liking.
When cooked, remove the lamb from the oven, wrap it in foil and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
While the meat is resting, make the sauce. Place the roasting tray over a medium-high heat and allow the lamb juices to come to a boil and reduce by half. Add the white wine and use a spatula to scrape all the delicious bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the liquid to reduce by half. Add the chicken stock and, again, reduce by half.
Pour off the excess fat then strain the liquid through a fine sieve. Stir in the wholegrain mustard then pour into a warm jug to serve.
© Heston Blumenthal 2011
