One of the real delights of the year is the arrival of new season lamb, the one we ate today really lived up to expectations too. Quite a simple dish that will thrill your tastebuds and guests alike. The stuffing can easily be varied to suit your tastes, try adding lemon zest , chilli or use chorizo instead of bacon. No real measurements here either, just experiment a little and most of all enjoy. Again this type of dish is just spur of the moment, throw it all together and see what happens, which we really enjoy doing, makes food really interesting and different every time too.
1 Leg of local lamb
A handful of fresh garden herbs
Clove garlic
3 or 4 rashers bacon
Couple of slices stale bread--sourdough is great
Splash of white wine
Bone the leg of lamb, your local butcher will be happy to do this.
Pick over the herbs, pop the bones, along with some root veg and the herb stalks into a pot to make your stock.
Remove crusts from bread slices then dice them, roughly chop the bacon.
Whiz the bread and herbs in a food processor, place to one side then whiz the bacon to make a coarse paste. Mix into the bread and herb to make a stuffing.
Open out the leg of lamb and cut the meat so it opens quite flat, spread the stuffing onto the meat.
Roll up and tie to prevent it unrolling during cooking.
Peel and slice the garlic.
Season lamb with salt and pepper, then push the tip of a sharp knife into the skin and into the meat, lever it very slightly to make a small opening and insert a slice of garlic. Repeat evenly across the whole joint.
Place on a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, and splash of wine, roast.(The cooking time will depend upon the size of the leg and degree of cooking that you wish to apply).
Remove from oven when cooked, allow to rest for a while before carving into thick slices to enjoy with a simple gravy or sauce made from the stock.
