Best Gordon Hamersleys Boned Stuffed Leg Of Lamb Recipes

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Remove plastic netting or twine from around the leg of lamb, if any, and open up the roast on a cutting board. Place the boned side of the roast up. With a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess fatty areas. Use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat about 2 inches apart, to help the meat lie flat. Cover the meat with a sturdy piece of plastic wrap or a cut-apart food storage bag, and pound the meat with a mallet or the edge of a small plate until the roast is about 3/4 inch thick everywhere, and 10 to 14 inches square.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sprinkle the upper side of the meat with salt and pepper, and then spread spinach leaves over the top of the roast to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Break up the goat cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the spinach, then sprinkle the pine nuts over the cheese.
• Roll the roast up into a tight cylinder, and tie the roast together with kitchen twine at 2 inch intervals. It's okay if a little stuffing protrudes from the sides of the roast.
• In a flat dish, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, the thyme, and the fennel seeds, and press the tied roast firmly into the flour mixture to coat all sides.
• Heat the sesame oil in a heavy oven-proof or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, and sear all sides of the roast, including the ends, to a golden brown color. Lay the roast into the skillet, place into the preheated oven, and roast to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

GORDON HAMERSLEY'S BONED STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the lamb bones in a roasting pan and roast for about 45 minutes. Roughly chop the unpeeled onion, the carrots and the celery and add to the roasting pan with the tomato paste. Mix to distribute the vegetables and coat them with tomato paste and fat from the lamb. Return to the oven and roast an additional 15 minutes.
• Remove bones and vegetables from the pan and place them in a stock pot that is just large enough to hold them comfortably. Deglaze the roasting pan with the red wine over high heat and add to the stock pot. Then add enough chicken stock or water to just cover the bones in the pan. Bring to a boil, skim any scum that rises and add a pinch of salt, two cloves of garlic, the bay leaf and peppercorns. Lower the heat to simmering, partially cover the stock pot and simmer for at least two hours. At the end of this time, the stock should have a destinctive lamb flavor.
• Remove stock from the heat and strain through a coarse sieve. Return strained stock to the pan and cook briskly to reduce and thicken the stock. You should have about four cups of sauce when it is reduced.
• While the sauce is cooking, clean and rinse the kale, stripping the leaves from the ribs. Discard the ribs. In a saute pan over medium high heat saute the kale in three tablespoons of olive oil until it is softened but still a little crisp to the bite. (You may need to add a bit of water to keep the kale from burning.) Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Roast the red peppers over a gas flame, an electric grill or in a preheated broiler, turning until the outsides are blackened. Place in a paper bag for about 15 minutes to soften the skins. Then peel the peppers, discard the seeds and inner membranes and cut in thick slices.
• Roughly chop the olives together with the peeled shallot and remaining garlic cloves. Mix in dried herbs.
• Spread the butterflied lamb out on a countertop, skin side down. If the butcher has left the nugget of fat on the inside of the leg, remove and discard it. Layer the kale over the lamb, then layer the strips of red pepper over that. Sprinkle the olives, garlic and shallot pieces over the pepper strips, then sprinkle salt and cracked black pepper and about half the one-quarter cup of olive oil over the vegetables.
• Roll the lamb leg, securing the stuffing, and tie it in several places with butcher's twine, tucking in the loose flaps at both ends. The result will be a long cylinder.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the lamb roll on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for exactly one hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Carve in thick (one-half to three-quarter-inch) slices and serve on heated plates with a little of the hot sauce. Pass the rest of the sauce in a sauce boat.