STUFFED LEG OF LAMB WRAPPED IN PASTRY(BOUTY ARNIOU GHEMISTO ZIM)

Steps:

• For stuffing:.
• Combine all ingredients and blend well.
• Cover and refrigerate.
• For pastry:.
• Disolve sugar and yeast in warm water and let stand until foamy and proofed.
• Combine flour and salt in large bowl.
• Using your hands, rub butter into flour until it is absorbed.
• Make well in the center of flour and pour in yeast and milk.
• Still using hands,push flour from sides of bowl into center and mix to form dough.
• Knead several minutes until smooth.
• Place in lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm area until doubled, about 1 hour.
• For lamb:.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Set butterflied lamb skin side down on working surface.
• Pound to flatten slightly.
• Mix butter,garlic,salt and pepper to a paste; rub half thoroughly into lamb.
• Spread with stuffing and reshape leg.
• Sew closed with string;tie crosswise at 1 inch intervals and twice around length to hold stuffing.
• Rub outside with remaining butter mixture, then rub with rosemary.
• Set on rack in roasting pan and roast 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 and roast an additional 40 minutes.
• Let cool, then remove string and brush off excess rosemary.
• * Lamb can be prepared ahead to this point. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours.Don't start the pastry until you take the lamb out of the refrigerator.
• Lightly oil shallow roasting pan.
• Knead dough once again.
• Roll out enough dough on lightly floured surface to make rectangle 1/4 inch thick, large enough to completely enclose lamb with a 1 inch overlap.
• Set lamb on one end of rectangle.
• Beat yolks with milk and brush some on edges of dough;fold dough over lamb.
• Press seams together; trim and reserve excess dough.
• Set seam side down in roasting pan and brush with some of yolk.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll excess dough into long thin ropes. Braid in threes to go around top perimeter of lamb.
• Remaining dough can also be made into smaller and thinner ropes and/or worked into more intricate designs such as leaves,tiny birds, flowers and coiled snakes inside the encircling braid, all symbols of Easter in Greece.
• Brush decorations with yolk mixture.
• Bake until pastry sets, about 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes(use a meat thermometer to check doneness).
• Transfer to heated platter and garnish with fresh mint sprigs, if desired.
• Let stand several minutes before slicing.