History You Can Taste: Leg of Lamb With Mint Sauce

(Photo: The Meathouse)

Perhaps one of the most famous boat trips ever was that of the Titanic, so it's no surprise that we have information on just about every aspect, including the final meals of the fateful voyage. The following recipe comes from the fantastic book, Last Dinner on the Titanic available on Google Books.

Ingredients

• The Meat
  • 1 leg of lamb 3-1/2 to 4lbs
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mstard
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cub white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Mint Sauce
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 1 seaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • Fresh mint sprigs

Directions

The first step to a delicious lamb is to trim the gristle or silver skin. Once you have that done, set the meat aside and start preparing the marinade. Stir together the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the rosemary, mustard, and the pepper. Rub it all over the outside of the meat. Make sure to get the marinade under the muscle and into the corners and between the muscles. Let the leg stand for an hour at room temperature, or leave it in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.

Once marinated, preheat the oven to 450°. While the oven's preheating, sear the leg on a skillet (you will need a large one) until well browned on every side. I recommend tying twine around the lamb and using that to rotate, otherwise a large leg can be tough to turn and brown evenly.

Once the outside is nice and browned, put the lamb in your roasting pan. Pour the wine and salt into the skillet you used and scrape up the frond. Bring the mixture to a boil, then pour it over the lamb and put the leg into the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350° and cook for an additional 25 minutes for a rare roast, or 35 minutes for medium-rare.  The meat temperature should b 125° or °140 respectively. Pull out of the oven then tent with foil and let the leg rest for 15 minutes.

While the lamb is resting, place the roasting pan over medium heat and stir in the shallots. Make sure to stir often. Heat them until soft (about five minutes) then stir in the wine until it boils. Let it boil for one minute or until the mixture reduces into a glaze. Add stock, vinegar, and sugar. Boil for two minutes while stirring. Once the sauce is slightly thickened, pour through a fine-meshed sieve into pot or serving dish. Stir in the chopped mint, then garnish with the mint sprigs.

This recipe makes about six servings.

You can find this recipe and more in Last Dinner of the Titanic.

Comments

[Chris]

Muscle marinade is a great pre-workout, one of the best in the market and a good price!

[Henry]

I like that when I use muscle marinade that I don't get that jittery feeling.