Leg of lamb with tomato and wild garlic pesto, ratatouille and potatoes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1.2 kg leg of lamb
• 2 bell peppers, red and yellow
• 1 zucchini
• 1 eggplant(s)
• 4 potatoes
• 100 g tomatoes, dried in oil
• 10 leaves of wild garlic
• 75 ml cream
• 1 bottle of heavy red wine (Amarone della Valpolicella)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp thyme, chopped
• 1 ½ tbsp rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp caraway seeds, chopped
• 1 tsp mustard, hot (preferably tarragon mustard)
• 13 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp jelly (currant jelly)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

NT method

Wash the leg of lamb, dry it, and trim as much fat as possible. Mix 5 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of thyme, 1 tablespoon of rosemary, 1 teaspoon of caraway, 1 teaspoon of mustard, and 1 finely chopped garlic clove, along with salt and pepper, to make a seasoning oil and brush the leg all over. Then place it in a roasting pan, place a meat thermometer in the center of the leg of lamb, and let it come to room temperature (takes about 2 hours if the lamb is taken straight from the refrigerator). Preheat the oven to 80°C. Then place the leg of lamb in the oven; I’d say it will cook for about 3.5 hours. Time isn’t that important with this low-temperature cooking method; it can easily take an hour longer. But: Check the meat thermometer regularly; the internal temperature shouldn’t exceed 65–70°C. If the meat approaches this temperature, turn the oven down. By the way: The leg of lamb should also be seared, but not at the beginning, rather near the end. I do this because, unlike conventional frying at the beginning, the result is simply crispier. Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, then peel and dice them, each about 1 cm long. In the meantime, wash the peppers and zucchini and also dice them, this time with an edge length of 0.5 cm. Fry the potatoes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan until golden brown, season with salt, 1 tablespoon of thyme, and 1 teaspoon of rosemary. In a second pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 2 roughly crushed garlic cloves. Remove the leg from the oven, sear it on all sides in the flavored oil, and then return it to the oven. If there is any Amarone left after all this cooking time and endless monitoring of the thermometer, deglaze the pan with 1 glass of Amarone, reduce it by half, and set aside. The potatoes should also be done by now, so remove them from the pan and keep them warm. Heat another 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, fry the bell peppers and zucchini until al dente, season with salt and 1 tablespoon of thyme, then add to the potatoes. In the meantime, wash the eggplant and dice it the size of the bell peppers and zucchini. Then prepare and season in the same way and add to the potatoes. For the sauce, chop the sun-dried tomatoes and fry them together with a peeled garlic clove, deglaze with the pan juices from the leg of lamb and another glass of Amarone. Add the cream and blackcurrant jelly, transfer to a tall, narrow container, and blend thoroughly with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper. Wash the wild garlic, remove the stalks, and finely slice the leaves. Add to the sauce just before serving. If necessary, reheat the potatoes and vegetables, mix well, and transfer to soufflé dishes, for example, pressing down lightly before turning out onto well-warmed plates (important because of the low-temperature lamb). Cut the meat into thin slices, place on plates and pour the sauce over it.