Leg of lamb with herbs, aioli and vegetables

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 3 kg leg of lamb, with bone
• 1 bunch rosemary
• 1 bunch of thyme
• 8 sage leaves
• 1 cup olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 egg yolks
• 300 ml olive oil (sunflower)
• 5 tbsp yogurt
• 1 lemon(s)
• 2 kg potatoes, small, young
• 3 zucchinis
• 8 carrots
• 500 g shallot(s)
• 3 bulbs of fennel
• 500 ml red wine
• 3 red bell peppers
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Total time approx. 1 day 1 hour 30 minutes

Very festive, reliable

Buy the leg of lamb with the bone intact, if possible. It’s best not to have the butcher chop off the end, as this will look wonderfully impressive on the table later. Carefully trim the leg of all outer layers of fat (small remnants can remain) and remove all skin with a sharp knife. Lightly pierce the outside of the leg several times (1-2 cm deep) with a sharp knife. Finely chop or weigh the rosemary, thyme, and sage. In total, you should have about a small cupful of herbs. Then mix the herbs well with the olive oil, a tablespoon of salt, and plenty of pepper (about 20 turns). If you have a food processor, process everything into a smooth paste. Place the leg on a deep baking tray and thoroughly rub all sides with the herb-oil-spice mixture. Cover loosely and refrigerate the tray with the leg for 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 230°C (top and bottom heat). Scrub the small potatoes clean, but do not peel them. Peel the carrots and cut into large pieces. Peel the shallots. Wash the zucchini and cut into large pieces. Halve the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Halve or quarter the fennel. Scrape some of the herb mixture off the leg with a spoon and reserve. Place the baking tray with the leg in the oven. Allow 20 minutes of cooking time per 500g of meat on the bone, provided the meat is still slightly pink. At 15 minutes per 500g of meat, the leg will be noticeably pink, almost still bloody. A meat thermometer is very useful if you have one. Aim for an internal temperature of 55–60°C. 90 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the potatoes and carrots to the baking tray. 60 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the whole shallots. Gradually add the red wine. The vegetables can roast lightly, but must not burn. Gradually drizzle the reserved herb mixture over the vegetables and add a little salt to taste. The vegetables should be turned in the stock, and the leg should finally be placed on top of the potatoes, carrots, and shallots. 45 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the zucchini and peppers to the baking tray. Mix a mayonnaise from the sunflower oil and egg yolk, add finely crushed garlic, salt, and a little lemon juice, and mix the aioli with a little yogurt. Let the leg rest for 10 minutes at the end. Bring the deep baking tray with the leg and vegetables to the table and carve the leg in front of the guests. Everyone takes their favorite vegetables and also gets a spoonful of stock. Then add a dollop of aioli to the edge of the plate – this is very important! Serve with some white bread if desired. I sometimes also serve a small tomato salad.