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Roast Mint-Stuffed Leg Of Lamb
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| What You Need: |
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A 6-pound leg of lamb, boned
4 slices bacon, cut into ˝-inch pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
˝ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
Salt
1˝ cups beef or chicken stock, fresh or canned (optional)
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Have the butcher bone a leg of lamb by removing the rump and leg bone, which will create a deep pocket for the stuffing. Ask him to leave the shank bone in. Although the effect will not be quite as impressive, the leg may be cut open and boned entirely. Do not remove the parchmentlike covering called the fell from the outside of the lamb.
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2. For the stuffing, combine in a mixing bowl the bacon, chopped mint and garlic and stir into it ˝ teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Fill the pocket with the stuffing and either sew the openings together or tightly skewer them.
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3. Or, if the leg has been cut open, lay it out flat, skin side down, and spread the stuffing over it. Roll the meat so as to enclose the stuffing completely, sew or skewer it, then tie it at 2-inch intervals so that it will hold its shape while cooking.
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4. Preheat the oven to 475°F. With a pastry brush or paper towel coat the lamb with the vegetable oil and place it fat side up on a rack set in a roasting pan just about large enough to hold it comfortably. Roast the lamb uncovered in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes.
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5. Then turn the heat down to 375°F and scatter the onions, carrots and celery in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the lamb generously with salt and a few grindings of black pepper, and roast for about an hour for medium-rare lamb (140°F to 150°F on a meat thermometer) or up to ˝ hour longer for well-done lamb (165°F to 170°F).
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6. A simple pan gravy may be made by removing the lamb to a heated platter (the meat will be easier to carve if it rests for about 10 minutes) and pouring the 1˝ cups of stock into the roasting pan.
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7. Bring it to a boil on top of the stove for about 3 minutes, meanwhile scraping into it any brown particles clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan. Strain it, discard the vegetables, and then skim the gravy of all its surface fat. Taste for seasoning and serve in a gravy boat with the carved lamb.
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