Garlic leg of lamb with apricot and pine nut ragout

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 leg of lamb with bone
• 3 bulbs of garlic
• 250 ml Lamb stock
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 300 g apricot(s)
• 100 g pine nuts
• 1 tbsp walnut oil or hazelnut oil
• 6 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil for frying
• Sea salt
• Pepper, black from the mill

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 5 hours 15 minutes

no frills and yet wonderfully aromatic

First, remove any thick layers of fat from the leg, season with pepper, and rub with sea salt. Remove and peel the garlic cloves. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Heat olive oil in a large roasting pan and sear the leg on all sides. Then remove it and transfer the cooked meat to a smaller pot; you’ll need it later for the sauce. Clean the roasting pan, line it first with aluminum foil, then with baking paper, spread the garlic cloves on it, place the leg of lamb on top, and pour over 1/4 liter of lamb stock. Place the baking paper over the leg of lamb and fold in the sides to ensure it’s well-sealed on all sides. Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook the leg for four hours. Then remove or cut open the top layer of baking paper, brush the leg with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and return it to the oven for another 30 minutes. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes after cooking. Meanwhile, wash, pit, and quarter the apricots. Heat 1 tablespoon of nut oil in a pan and fry the apricot quarters along with the roughly chopped pine nuts (you can leave them whole, if you like). Add the roasting juices from the leg of lamb, without the garlic cloves, to the juices collected at the beginning of the dish in the small saucepan, dilute with 6 tablespoons of water, and add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Simmer the sauce over high heat for three minutes, add the apricots and pine nuts, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the leg of lamb. It also tastes good with cherries instead of apricots. Serve with a fresh salad and baguette as a side dish.