Leg of Lamb with Dried Cherry, Mustard, and Herb Crust
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings30
minutes2
hoursI love lamb and we had dear friends over who also enjoy lamb. I have had this recipe on the top of a pile to make and this did not disappoint. It may not look to pretty from the picture but the flavors married with with the flavor of the lamb. I used a boneless leg of lamb. If you use a bone in, it will take a little longer to cook. This recipe is pretty easy as there is no marinating. Just remember to have the lamb be at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting. This is a good thing to remember with all meat.
Ingredients
1 six pound boneless leg of lamb
4 cloves of garlic, cut lengthwise into quarters
Kosher salt
2 cups dried sweet cherries soaked in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes
1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs, I used sour dough
2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved and cut into 2 inch lengths
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and cut into 2 inch lengths
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 cup sweet vermouth
1 1/2 cup homemade chicken, beef or turkey stock
Directions
- Place th oven rack in the lower third of oven and remove the rest of the oven racks. Preheat oven to 450.
- Trim any excess fat off the lamb. Make 16 slits into the meat and stick with garlic in each hole. Sprinkle meat with salt all over. Set aside.
- Place the dried cherries and their soaking liquid, bread crumbs, mustard, herbs, 2 Tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and lots of fresh ground pepper in a processor and pulse into a wet paste.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan, sprinkle carrots, celery and onions around. Lather meat all over with paste, making sure the meat is sitting in some of the paste.
- Place in oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, lower the temperature to 375. After about 35-45 minutes, check the temperature into thickest part and once it registers 125-130 for medium rare. Check meat that the paste isn’t getting to dark, if so cover loosely with foil.
- Remove from oven and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Place the roasting pan over 2 burners on Medium high leaving all the stuff in the pan, add the vermouth and broth. Stir and scrape the bottom to get all the richness into the sauce. Allow to simmer till reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce through a sieve and serve with the sliced lamb. Discard all the solids.
