I’m always on the lookout for a good roast leg of lamb recipe. Well, it so happened that I had a led of lamb recipe that I never got to use. In this case, half a leg of lamb. That’s when I decided to try out this recipe. It’s lamb cooked in a Dijon mustard sauce that includes olive oil, garlic, thyme (or rosemary), basil, salt and pepper. Also, note that a half leg of lamb will cook faster than a whole leg of lamb which, depending on whether it’s a slow roast or not, may take from 2 to 4 hours to cook.

When I make a roast lamb recipe, I normally add potatoes to the roasting. They could be small potatoes, or large potatoes cut in half. The result is that you not only get a delicious roast, but seasoned potatoes as well, all cooked together. Depending upon the size of the pan, be it cast-iron or other, you may need 12 or more small potatoes along with the lamb leg. Or you can use about 6 large potatoes cut in half or quarters. Also, in the Rivera clan, we wash the potatoes but do not peel them. Some folks mix the taters with turnips or carrots, or whatever. You are only limited by your imagination.

If you desire a sauce with the meal, simply add ½ cup red wine to the pan juices and boil over moderately-high heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and serve with lamb

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH DIJON MUSTARD SAUCE

Ingredients:

Half  leg of lamb (2½ to 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon crushed thyme or rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh Basil, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
12-13 small potatoes or 6 large potatoes cut in half

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Rinse lamb leg under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  3. Put 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a roasting pan. Place leg in pan and cover with a mixture of the remaining ingredients. Allow to marinate and season for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Scatter potatoes around lamb. Place in oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then raise oven temperature to 425 degrees and roast for another 15-25 minutes depending on desired level of doneness. Note that perfect internal temperature is 140 degrees when measured with a meat thermometer. Remove from oven and let stand for at least 15 minutes before carving.
    Yield: 4 servings.