ZalentineValentines Recipes
Aromatic Valentines Day Lamb
1 Leg of lamb (about 4 lbs)
3 lb Potatoes (about 5 oz each)
1 Lemon
Honey
Olive oil
Butter
Rosemary, thyme & oregano
Put the leg of lamb into a large roasting pan.
Bruise the leaves of 2 or 3 sprigs of rosemary and sprinkle them over the meat. Add plenty of pepper and 1 tablespoon honey. Rub the mixture into the meat with your hands, then rub half a lemon over the joint, squeezing the juice onto the meat as you do so. Do not add any salt. Leave to marinate for 4 to 24 hours.
Peel and quarter the potatoes, then arrange them in a single layer around the lamb.
Squeeze lemon juice over the potatoes -- use at least half a lemon, or up to one and a half lemons for a strong citrus flavour. Carefully pour 1/4 pint water into a corner of the roasting pan, then sprinkle about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, at least 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme and at least 1 teaspoon oregano, and some salt and pepper over the potatoes and lamb. Drizzle on 1 1/2 teaspoons honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil, then dot with 1 oz of butter.
Bake at 425 F. for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
The ingredients will become gilded and will burnish to a rich brown in places. Lift the meat and turn the potatoes occasionally, and if necessary, add a little boiling water to the pan to prevent drying out.