Simple Braised Leg of Lamb
It’s now officially official: if I had to choose but one kind of meat to eat for the rest of my life, I would have to choose lamb, without so much as a moment’s hesitation.
Wow is that meat ever tasty!
In fact, I’m almost out, so I’ll have to order another carcass soon, and I’m seriously considering ordering two this time. Last year, I only ordered one, and I felt I always had to refrain from eating too much of it, because I wanted to make it last. So I’d only have it once or twice a month, at most. Pfft. That’s so very little. If I had my way, I would eat lamb several times a week.
Mind you, the farm I previously got my meat from, I could only order once a year and had to reserve my animal months in advance. And then taking possession of my meat had been super complicated. However, I recently found a new source where I can apparently order a full carcass and get it delivered right to my doorstep, cut to my specifications, in a matter of 10 days.
With that in mind, I think I can safely order just one… at a time! Plus, they also raise ducks, rabbits and Berkshire pigs. Oh my! I so can’t wait to get my hands on one of those. I’m planning on paying them a little visit next month and place an order at the same time. So excited! This is much better than going to the grocery store and choosing a steak off the counter!
But back to this Simple Braised Leg of Lamb… if you’re the kind of person who gets intimidated at the idea of making a roast because you’re always afraid that it’ll come out of the oven way too cooked, or way underdone, then braising is the ideal solution for you. You simply cannot go wrong with this method. The meat cooks at low temperature for an extended period of time, rendering it fall-off-the bone tender and crazy juicy.
I don’ think there is such a thing as “overbraising” meat… This, is a foolproof method. In other words, your success and your guests’ satisfaction are guaranteed.
As always, preheat your oven, this time to 325°F
Pat your leg of lamb real dry and make several deep incisions throughout the roast with a paring knife.
Randomly insert garlic cloves, sprigs of fresh thyme and fresh sage into those incisions.
You can also insert a combination of more than one aromatic in each of these incisions, for an even more flavorful roast.
Also too, if time permits, don’t hesitate to wrap your lamb in plastic film and place it in the fridge for a couple of hours, or better yet overnight, to let the meat infuse with all those earthy fragrances.
When you’re ready to cook your roast, melt some lard, or other healthy cooking fat in a large heavy skillet set over high heat.
Sprinkle the leg of lamb generously with salt and pepper and place it in the hot pan; brown well on all sides.
Meanwhile, place the onions, celery, bay leaves, 4 or 5 garlic cloves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and fresh sage as well as some bone broth at the bottom of a 7 quart Dutch oven.
When the roast is done browning, place it in the Dutch oven as well, right on top of all those goodies.
Cover and bake in the oven for 3½ to 4 hours or until the meat is tender and detaches easily from the bone when pulled with a fork.
Transfer to a service plate and serve, accompanied with the delicious braised vegetables and tasty sauce that formed at the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Don’t forget to remove the herbs and bay leaves!
Oh, and now that I think of it, you could even throw in some additional root vegetables in that Dutch oven, such as carrots, rutabaga, cabbage, parsnip, turnip and even whole mushrooms. They sure would make for an awesome side dish! Perhaps adding them right at the beginning would be a bit of an overkill as they would have time to turn to mush, but if you were to throw them in say halfway through, I think you’d be in business!
Ha! I’ll be sure to do that myself, next time.
And now, time to carve that beautiful roast. Just look at how moist and juicy that meat is!
And just wait ’til you see what I did with the leftovers… It’s what I call a real, kick-ass Earthy Shepherd’s Pie, complete with loads of tender and juicy braised lamb meat, tons of wild mushrooms and an avalanche of über creamy cauliflower mash. TO.DIE.FOR!
Oh lamb, how I love thee…
Simple Braised Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lard, or other healthy cooking fat
- 3.85 lb bone-in leg of lamb
- 12-15 cloves garlic, peeled
- Few sprigs fresh sage
- Few sprigs fresh thyme
- About 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- About 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2-3 celery ribs, chopped
- 3-4 fresh bay leaves
- 2 cups bone broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- Pat your leg of lamb real dry and make several deep incisions throughout the roast with a paring knife. Randomly insert garlic cloves, sprigs of fresh thyme and fresh sage into those incisions. You can insert a combination of more than one aromatic in each of these incisions, for an even more flavorful roast. Furthermore, if time permits, you could even wrap your lamb in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to let the meat infuse for a couple of hours, or better yet, overnight.
- Melt the lard in a large heavy skillet set over high heat. Sprinkle the leg of lamb generously with salt and pepper and place it in the hot pan; brown well on all sides.
- Meanwhile, place the onions, celery, bay leaves, 4 or 5 garlic cloves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and fresh sage as well as the bone broth at the bottom of a 7 quart Dutch oven. When the roast is done browning, place it in the Dutch oven as well, cover and bake in the oven for 3½ to 4 hours or until the meat is tender and detaches easily from the bone when pulled with a fork.
- Serve, accompanied with the delicious braised vegetables and tasty sauce that formed at the bottom of the Dutch oven (don’t forget to remove the herbs).
Nutrition
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4 Comments on “Simple Braised Leg of Lamb”
Yummy!
How convenient to order an entire lamb! The place looks idyllic and they have rabbits too!
I now live in a country where rabbit meat is very uncommon, but I really miss it. My great aunt used to keep rabbits and when I was a child we would eat them frequently. It’s a very good meat for kids.
I’ve never been all that big on rabbit, I find it has way too many bones for my liking… Maybe I ought to give it another chance and get a couple as well when I order my lamb and pork.
Delicious looking recipe I’m going to give your recipe a go soon. Like you my favourite meat is lamb, I’m always slightly shocked if someone says they don’t like lamb!!! I live in the UK and we are now seeing all the lambs running around in the fields, lovely to see.
yes have to agree totally, Lamb is my very favourite red meat. I like your method marinating the leg overnight, will try that next time. Leftovers are also good in sandwiches with fermented cabbage and pickled cucumbers!