Have you ever seen a food photo which looks so delicious you know you just have to try it? That’s what happened to me recently when I saw a photo of a roasted leg of lamb in a unique cookbook gifted to me by my son and daughter-in-law several years ago . (I admit the photo above is my own, and doesn’t compare to the one in the book, but you get the picture I hope)
The cookbook is called Dinner at the Long Table by Andrew Tarlow and Anna Dunn… To quote a fitting description of this book…
Dinner at the Long Table includes family-style meals that have become a tradition in his home. Written with Anna Dunn, the cookbook is organized by occasion and punctuated with personal anecdotes and photography. Much more than just a beautiful cookbook, it is a thematic exploration into cooking, inspiration, and creativity, with a focus on the simple yet innate human practice of preparing and enjoying food together.
Of course you can improvise, and substitute if need be in almost all recipes to a point, but below are his instructions for this delicious roast lamb… (For instance I couldn’t locate fingerling at the time so I subbed small regular potatoes, but kept the size uniform).
For conventional ovens, ask your butcher for two legs of lamb, de-boned. You’ll want all the potatoes to be about the same size. Medium to large fingerling potatoes are perfect for this roast.
Ingredients
2 boneless legs of lamb
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 anchovy fillets
12 cloves of garlic, peeled
¼ cup rosemary, minced
5 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
1 lemon
Season the lamb inside and out with salt and pepper.
note: (if you purchase it from the butcher already tied as I did just season outside well and get into any crevices you can with seasoning).
With a large mortar and pestle, pound the anchovies, garlic, and rosemary into a paste. Rub the paste all over the lamb, really massaging it in.
Roll up the lamb and secure it with kitchen twine. (You will eliminate this step if you have purchased it already tied).
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Two hours before dinner, remove the lamb from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the potatoes in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Pour the olive oil over the potatoes and season well with salt and pepper.
Place the lamb on top of the potatoes.
Roast for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F.
Continue to roast until the internal temperature is 135 degrees F, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter and let rest for 30 minutes.
After the lamb has rested, pour any juices that have collected on the platter into the roasting pan with the potatoes.
Toss to coat the potatoes with the juices, then taste one. If they need more salt, add some now. If they seem dry, add oil and toss to coat.
Zest the lemon over the potatoes, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze one
half over the potatoes. Toss the potatoes until they are well dressed.
Carve the roast into thin slices and serve with the potatoes on the side.
