LAMB ROAST WITH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC

Preparation 20 minutes, plus chilling Cooking 1 hour 15 minutes Serves 8-10 Rosemary survives all year, even in colder gardens. Spike your leg of lamb with little tufts of this pungent herb and tiny slivers of garlic. A Ballymaloe classic – delicious hot, warm or at room temperature. A little piece of anchovy wrapped around the rosemary and garlic adds extra flavour.

1 x 2.7kg-3.2kg leg of lamb 3 sprigs of rosemary, depending on size 3-4 garlic cloves FOR THE GRAVY 600ml homemade lamb stock roux (optional – see the recipe for Ballycotton fish pie)

1 Choose a good leg of lamb with a thin layer of fat. Ask the butcher to trim the knuckle and remove the aitch bone for ease of carving later. With the point of a sharp knife or skewer, make deep holes all over the lamb, about 2.5cm apart. It is a good idea not to do this on the underside of the joint, in case someone insists on eating their lamb unflavoured. Divide the rosemary sprigs into tufts of three or four leaves together. 2 Peel the garlic cloves and cut them into little spikes about the same size as a matchstick broken into three. Stick a spike of garlic into each hole with a tuft of rosemary. If time allows, cover and chill for an hour or two. 3 Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Sprinkle the joint with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper, and put it into a roasting tin in the oven. Cook for about 1¼ hours for rosy lamb, 1½-1¾ hours if it is to be better done, depending on the size of the joint. A meat thermometer will eliminate guesswork altogether, but ensure it isn’t touching a bone when you are testing the internal temperature. For rare it should be 60°C, medium 70°C and well done 75°C. 4 Transfer the lamb to a serving dish and leave to rest while you make the gravy. Spoon the fat off the roasting tin. Pour the stock into the cooking juices remaining in the tin. Boil for a few minutes, stirring and scraping the pan well to dissolve the caramelised meat juices (I find a small whisk is best). Thicken with a little roux if you like (see overleaf ). Season to taste. Strain and serve the gravy separately in a gravy boat. Serve the lamb with roast potatoes or haricot beans.