Thursday, April 25, 2019

On the MENU This Week. Braaied Butterflied Leg of Lamb

We have always used this recipe for lamb cooked on the Weber type braai. It has evolved over the past 30 or so years from a recipe originally published in the Cape Times. Last weekend, the Cape was assaulted by gale force winds, so we used our gas oven, because braaiing would have been too unpleasant. Procedure with an electric oven should be the same as with gas. Both methods are described below
Very much an action photograph, taken whilst carving and serving
Ask the butcher to debone the leg (or do it yourself) so that there are two half legs, joined in the middle, with fat on one side only. Place the meat in a large bowl and prepare a marinade of
Half cup Olive Oil - Half cup Soy Sauce - 1 cup red wine Vinegar, Red Wine or Verjuice - Grated peel and juice of 1 Lemon - 6-8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped - Several sprigs of Lavender or Rosemary
Chop the lavender/rosemary leaves, having stripped them off the stalks. Whip the oil and soy sauce and the other ingredients. Pour the marinade over both sides of the meat, and cover the dish. Marinate for ± 12 hours with the cut side down, turning it occasionally to ensure that the marinade penetrates evenly
Braai version: Light the fire, and, just before the flames have completely died, put the meat on the grid, cut side down, to sear for 5-10 minutes
Turn the meat over, and leave it fat side down, with the lid on the Weber, for ± 30 minutes for a small leg and ± 45 minutes for a larger leg. Baste the leg occasionally with the marinade (More frequently over an open fire)
Oven version: Turn the oven temperature to 275ºC. Place the meat, fat side down in a metal roasting dish with a good dose of the marinade, about 2cm deep. Do not cover the meat completely with the liquid. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 180ºC and continue to roast for another 30 to 45 minutes. There is no need to baste, as the meat is lying in the liquid
Serving: (Use a razor-sharp knife)
Cut the meat down the middle into two “fillets” and carve each one from the meat side toward the fat into very thin slices. The thick parts will be rare, becoming more well-done as the meat becomes thinner

Serve as you would roast beef. We have a rule in our house. Make sure that you serve yourselves as you carve as it disappears very quickly





All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

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