Oven-baked lamb

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 leg of lamb (1.5 – 2 kg)
• 1 ½ lemon(s), the juice
• Salt
• Black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary, small, fresh
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 kg potatoes, waxy
• 75 ml olive oil, alternatively 75 g melted butter
• 2 sprig(s) Thyme, fresh or 1 tsp dried
• 2 sprig(s) mint, fresh or 1 scant tsp dried

Instructions

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

Arni sto forno

Trim the fat from the leg of lamb, leaving only a thin layer. Rinse and dry the meat. Place the leg of lamb in the roasting pan, rub it all over with a little lemon juice, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Rinse the rosemary sprig and place it under the leg. Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 2). Peel the garlic cloves and cut into long, thin sticks. Pierce the meat several times all over with a sharp kitchen knife and insert the garlic sticks. Peel and wash the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, and place them around the leg of lamb. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining lemon juice. Pour olive oil over the leg and potatoes. Add 1 cup of hot water to the roasting pan. Cook the leg and potatoes in the center of the oven for about 1 hour. Baste frequently with the liquid from the roasting pan, adding a little more hot water if necessary. After about an hour, turn the meat and potatoes over and continue cooking for another hour. Rinse the herbs, shake dry, chop the leaves, and sprinkle them over the meat and potatoes about 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Serve with green beans or spinach sautéed in butter. Serve with a red Nemea from the Peloponnese, where this recipe also comes from.