Easy Roast Lamb Recipe
Sometimes the daunting thought of cooking a leg of lamb can feel like too much, well think again. Because here’s your chance to cook that perfect main course, spend time with your guests and not be tied to your oven checking for that perfection. Who would have thought that your insulated freezer bag would “cook” your meal for you?
This is an amazing and innovative way to achieve a tender and still pink leg of lamb with very little effort. This recipe comes from the wonderfully talented team at Mas d’Augustine and something you might enjoy as a guest in their chambres d’hôtes near Uzès.
Agneau juste à temp
Garlic and Rosemary infused tender leg of lamb cooked to perfect pink served with bright blanched vegetables. A must for your next dinner party or gathering.
Ingredients
- 1 leg Lamb (gigot)
- 3 garlic cloves
- fresh rosemary
- olive oil
- 2 large Broccoli heads
- baby carrots
- 12 new potatoes all a similar size
- 12 shallot(s)
- 4 oz Red Port
- 1 oz butter
- sea salt
- 2 large Towels
- 1 Insulated freezer bag
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250C
- Carefully slice the peeled garlic into thin slices.
- Make a deep incision in the leg of lamb and insert one slice of garlic and a sprig of rosemary.
- Repeat approximately 12 times, or until the gigot is well studded.
- Rub the gigot on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Place the lamb in a roasting tray skin side up and roast in the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove the lamb, turn it over and return to the oven for 8 minutes.
- It is important to ensure that the oven is at full temperature before you start cooking.
- Whilst the lamb is cooking, spread out two large towels on your worktop, one towel on top of the other.
- After the 23 (15+8) minutes in the oven, remove the roasting tray and place it on top of the towels.
- Cover the roasting tray with aluminum foil, making certain to fold the foil tightly around the edges of the tray.
- Carefully fold the towels up over the tray from all four sides and place the entire “package” into an insulated freezer bag and leave for 1.5 hours…….
- Peel the shallots and gently sauté them in butter for 10-12 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add 4 fl ozs of port and de-glaze the pan.
- Simmer gently until reduced and syrupy, cover and set aside
- To perfectly cook your vegetables – fill a large container with ice cold water and set aside.
- Fill a large deep saucepan with water, add a tablespoon of salt (the water should taste salty) and bring to the boil.
- Whilst this is coming to the boil, prepare your vegetables.
- Trim and cut the broccoli into similar sized florets.
- Peel the carrots and slice diagonally or if small, leave them whole.
- Wash the potatoes and slice in half, lengthwise.
- Once the water is at a rolling boil, blanch your vegetables in batches.
- Start with the carrots for 3-4 minutes, test after 3 minutes, there should be a slight resistance when you push a sharp knife into the centre.
- Remove with a slotted/basket spoon and plunge into the cold water.
- Ensure the water is still boiling and repeat the process with the broccoli; it will take 2-3 minutes depending on the size of your florets.
- Finally, repeat with the potatoes (10-12 minutes).
- When chilled remove from the water and drain well.
- When you are ready to cook them, arrange in a single layer in an oven proof dish, sprinkle with sea salt and olive oil and place in a medium hot oven (180c) for 7-8 minutes.
- After 1.5 hours in your freezer bag, the lamb will be perfectly cooked and a lovely pink colour throughout. It can now be (carefully) removed from the bag.
- Take the lamb juice from the oven tray and pour off any fat.
- Reheat the shallots and add the meat juice, simmer for 2 minutes to reduce back down to a syrupy consistency.
- Carve the lamb and serve on warm plates with the shallot and port glaze.
- Place the dish of vegetables on the table for your guests to help themselves.
- This method works well, as the lamb only needs your attention for 23 minutes (it will cook itself during the 1.5 hours in the freezer bag) and you can prepare and blanch your vegetables the day before …… leaving you free to entertain your guests !!
Notes
The key to successful blanching is to always have boiling water, regularly try your vegetables during the process and quickly plunge them into the ice cold water to halt the cooking process.
If you believe you might be pressed for time on the evening of your dinner party (or perhaps you want to spend more time drinking with your guests!), you can prepare the vegetables (in the manner described above) the day before and keep in a dry container in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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