Recipe: Roast Leg of Spring Lamb

Name: Roast Leg of Spring Lamb
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: There are several quality of leg of lamb found in France : leg of mutton, leg of lamb, leg of lamb "de pre-sale" (which are grazed on the sea shores of Normadie and other shores of France) and leg of milk-fed lamb.; Lamb meat is at its best around Easter because when summer comes and they are sheared the meat taste a bit stronger.; Roast leg of spring lamb for 6-8 people :; A leg of spring lamb of 4.4 lb (2kg), bone in; 3.5 oz (100g) salted butter; 1 pinch of fresh thyme; 3 clove garlic, cored and sliced; salt freshly ground pepper

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (93 reviews) · 🍳 66 made it

Recipe Roast Leg of Spring Lamb - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: AFTouch-Cuisine

Prep 20 min

Cook 40 min

Total 1h

Servings 8 serv.

Roast leg of lamb is the centrepiece of French Sunday cooking, a dish that brings families together at Easter and throughout the year. The key starts with sourcing: a free-range leg from the Pyrenees or salt-meadow lamb carries a depth of flavour that no standard cut can match. Chef Patrick Asfaux's technique of coating the lamb generously with thyme-infused butter ensures a beautifully golden crust, while the 15-minute resting time after the oven, the step most home cooks skip, is what makes the difference between a good roast and a truly exceptional one, tender and juicy to the very last slice.

Ingredients for 8 servings

Adjust for

servings

There are several quality of leg of lamb found in France : leg of mutton, leg of lamb, leg of lamb "de pre-sale" (which are grazed on the sea shores of Normadie and other shores of France) and leg of milk-fed lamb.
Lamb meat is at its best around Easter because when summer comes and they are sheared the meat taste a bit stronger.

Roast leg of spring lamb for 6-8 people :

A leg of spring lamb of 4.4 lb (2kg), bone in
3.5 oz (100g) salted butter
1 pinch of fresh thyme
3 clove garlic, cored and sliced

salt freshly ground pepper

Step-by-step directions

1 Start your oven at 200'C (392'F)

2 Soften your butter and incorporate the thyme and pepper with a whisk.

3 Coat your leg of lamb with this butter and insert slivers of garlic with the tip of office knife in the part of the meat along the bone.

4 Place your leg of lamb on a roasting tray and roast it for 40 minute (or 20 minutes per kilos)

5 While your leg of lamb is cooking thoroughly baste it from time to time.

6 When your roast is done, take your tray on your table and lift your leg of lamb on a up side down plate (leave it in the roasting tray though). Then, pour 0.6 cup (15 cl) of water into the tray.

7 Cover the lot with some tin foil and let it rest for 15 minutes.

8 Then, carve your leg of lamb. Meanwhile heat up the cooking juice in the tray. Place your thin slices of meat on a serving tray and strain the cooking juice in a sauce boat.

There are several garnishments that you can serve with your leg of lamb : green vegetables, sauté potatoes, beans, "flageolet" beans, sauté Jerusalem artichokes or pan fried chanterelles etc.

There is the technique to carve your leg of lamb :

Take your leg by the bone. Lift it slightly and with your right hand and a very sharp knife start carving down wards and parallel to the bone until your reach the bone. Then, turn your leg of lamb and keep on going in the same way until all the meat has been carved all around.

In this way you will achieve some nice, thin regular slices of roast leg of lamb.

Chef Patrick's Comment

Several grades of leg are sold in France: mutton leg, lamb leg, salt-meadow lamb leg (from the coastal grasslands along the English Channel and the Atlantic), and milk-fed lamb leg (raised exclusively on its mother's milk) from the Pyrenees, Quercy, Sisteron, Pauillac, and beyond.

Lamb is at its finest around Easter, as summer brings the shearing season, after which the flavour becomes noticeably stronger.

How to carve a leg of lamb: on a carving board, hold the shank firmly with your left hand and lift. With your right hand and a well-sharpened knife, slice parallel to the bone, pushing the blade away from you. Your slices will be thin and even. When you reach the bone, rotate the leg slightly and carve from the other side — by the end, no meat should remain around the bone.

Should you ever have a haunch of venison, mouflon or fallow deer (same cooking time) or wild boar (add 15 minutes), follow the same method, swap the garnishes (chestnut purée, celeriac, etc.) and serve alongside a good sauce poivrade.