Gordon Hamersleys Boned Stuffed Leg Of Lamb Recipes

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Remove plastic netting or twine from around the leg of lamb, if any, and open up the roast on a cutting board. Place the boned side of the roast up. With a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess fatty areas. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat about 2 inches apart, to help the meat lie flat. Cover the meat with a sturdy piece of plastic wrap or a cut-apart food storage bag, and pound the meat with a mallet or the edge of a small plate until the roast is about 3/4 inch thick everywhere, and 10 to 14 inches square.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sprinkle the upper side of the meat with salt and pepper, and then spread spinach leaves over the top of the roast to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Break up the goat cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the spinach, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese.
• Roll the roast up into a tight cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. It's okay if a little stuffing protrudes from the sides of the roast.
• In a flat dish, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seeds, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
• Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, and sear all sides of the roast, including the ends, to a golden brown color. Lay the roast into the skillet, place into the preheated oven, and roast to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

GORDON HAMERSLEY'S BONED STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the lamb bones in a roasting pan and roast for about 45 minutes. Roughly chop the unpeeled onion, the carrots and the celery and add to the roasting pan with the tomato paste. Mix to distribute the vegetables and coat them with tomato paste and fat from the lamb. Return to the oven and roast an additional 15 minutes.
• Remove bones and vegetables from the pan and place them in a stock pot that is just large enough to hold them comfortably. Deglaze the roasting pan with the red wine over high heat and add to the stock pot. Then add enough chicken stock or water to just cover the bones in the pan. Bring to a boil, skim any scum that rises and add a pinch of salt, two cloves of garlic, the bay leaf and peppercorns. Lower the heat to simmering, partially cover the stock pot and simmer for at least two hours. At the end of this time, the stock should have a destinctive lamb flavor.
• Remove stock from the heat and strain through a coarse sieve. Return strained stock to the pan and cook briskly to reduce and thicken the stock. You should have about four cups of sauce when it is reduced.
• While the sauce is cooking, clean and rinse the kale, stripping the leaves from the ribs. Discard the ribs. In a saute pan over medium high heat saute the kale in three tablespoons of olive oil until it is softened but still a little crisp to the bite. (You may need to add a bit of water to keep the kale from burning.) Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Roast the red peppers over a gas flame, an electric grill or in a preheated broiler, turning until the outsides are blackened. Place in a paper bag for about 15 minutes to soften the skins. Then peel the peppers, discard the seeds and inner membranes and cut in thick slices.
• Roughly chop the olives together with the peeled shallot and remaining garlic cloves. Mix in dried herbs.
• Spread the butterflied lamb out on a countertop, skin side down. If the butcher has left the nugget of fat on the inside of the leg, remove and discard it. Layer the kale over the lamb, then layer the strips of red pepper over that. Sprinkle the olives, garlic and shallot pieces over the pepper strips, then sprinkle salt and cracked black pepper and about half the one-quarter cup of olive oil over the vegetables.
• Roll the lamb leg, securing the stuffing, and tie it in several places with butcher's twine, tucking in the loose flaps at both ends. The result will be a long cylinder.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the lamb roll on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for exactly one hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Carve in thick (one-half to three-quarter-inch) slices and serve on heated plates with a little of the hot sauce. Pass the rest of the sauce in a sauce boat.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub lamb inside and out with garlic clove. Stuff leg of lamb and tie securely; sprinkle meat with rosemary.
• Put stuffed lamb on a rack and roast for 1 3/4 hours to 2 hours or until meat is 135 to 140 degrees. Remove from oven as you finish sauce.
• Discard fat in roasting pan. Add wine and broth and reduce. Add tomatoes and olives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat add parsley.

ROAST LAMB STUFFED WITH APRICOT & MINT

Steps:

• Lay the lamb, skin-side down, on a board - if the joint you bought is tied up, then snip the strings and unroll it. Cut several pieces of string long enough to tie around the lamb, then slide them under the joint so they're regularly spaced out. Mix the stuffing ingredients together, and season well. Spread the stuffing out along the middle of the lamb, then fold the meat over to form a roll. Tie the string so the roll stays together, but don't make it too tight or it will cut into the meat. Tie some string lengthways too, if necessary.
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Season the lamb evenly all over. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then brown the lamb all over. Start with the side where the seam meets, as this will stop the lamb breaking up when you carve it.
• Tip the veg, garlic and rosemary into a roasting tin and put the lamb on top, seam-side down. Cook the lamb until the core temperature reaches 60C on a meat thermometer - this should take around 1 hr for a 2kg leg. As you rest the lamb, the temperature will continue to rise so don't overcook it.
• Lift the lamb out of the tin and, keeping it warm, rest for up to an hour. Put the roasting tin on the hob. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, then tip the lot into a saucepan, scraping up any bits. Add 500ml water and then simmer again until reduced by half. Pour through a fine sieve and serve with the lamb.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB WITH BALSAMIC-FIG-BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine the chopped prunes and currants with the creme de cassis in a small bowl, and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the rosemary, thyme, coriander, salt, and pepper; set aside.
• Untie and unroll the lamb, lay it out flat on the work surface. Trim off excess fat, and cut any thick parts open so that it is evenly thick and somewhat rectangular in shape. Sprinkle half of the herb mixture over the lamb. Mix the almonds and chopped mint into the prune mixture; spread evenly over the lamb. Roll up starting at one of the short sides, and tie with kitchen twine in 1-inch intervals. Cut 9 slits about 1-inch deep into the top of the lamb, and insert a slice of garlic in each. Rub with olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining herb mixture.
• Place lamb seam-side up on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven to desired doneness. For medium-rare, a thermometer inserted into the center will read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Remove lamb from the oven and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes while proceeding with the recipe.
• While the lamb is resting, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Boil until the vinegar has reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Once reduced, stir in the butter, honey, and sliced figs. Stir until the butter has melted, then remove from the heat, stir in the chopped basil and set aside.
• To serve, remove the twine from the lamb and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange on a warm serving platter and drizzle with the fig sauce, garnish with mint and basil leaves.