Ingredients
- 1 x 2kg Leg of boned Chatsworth lamb
- 200ml Red wine
- 3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Salt and ground black pepper
For the gravy:
- 300ml Hot brown beef stock
- 1tsp Chatsworth redcurrant jelly
- 2tbs Plain flour
Method
- Heat the oven to 200C/400F/G6.
- Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper, season with salt and pepper and place in a roasting tin with the sprigs of rosemary on top.
- Roast the lamb for 40 minutes per kilo for medium (or 50 minutes per kilo for well done). Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, pour the wine over the lamb.
- When the lamb is cooked, remove the joint from the oven and lift it onto a warmed serving dish to rest. Lightly cover the lamb with foil and keep warm.
- To make the gravy, reserve the meat juices and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Add the flour to the remaining fat in the roasting tin and, using a whisk, stir it over a low heat until deep brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the stock, meat juices and redcurrant jelly. Return to the heat, stirring all the time and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Check the seasoning and strain into a warmed gravy boat or jug.
- Carve the meat at the table on to warmed dinner plates.
Serve with Chatsworth mint sauce, roast potatoes and your choice of vegetables.
Recommended wines: Duke & Duchess of Devonshire Claret, The Earl of Burlington Rouge, or any French, South African, Californian, Australian or South American Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tips and tricks
Why is it important to rest meat after roasting?
Taking the time to let meat ‘rest’ after roasting will ensure it is moist, tender and juicy. The reasons are:
- As meat cooks the proteins in the meat heat up and ‘set’. The more cooked the meat, the more ‘set’ the proteins become, therefore the more firm the meat becomes.
- As the proteins firm up, so it drives the juices towards the centre of the joint. Allowing the meat to stand before serving allows the juices to be redistributed throughout the joint and reabsorbed by the meat.
- As a result, the meat will lose less of its juices when carved and it will be far more tender and juicy to eat.
- A boneless leg of lamb should be allowed to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Things to look out for when buying lamb
- Lamb should be brownish-pink in colour, but not bloody.
- Young lamb will be pinker than older lamb, which will be deeper red in colour.
- The meat should be fine grained and not hard
- The fat should be creamy white and not oily
- Look for a joint which is plump and short, rather than thin and long.
- Avoid lamb that has a shiny sheen and blood spots
- The bones should be white and moist-looking
- The pink membrane on the outside of the fat (called the bark or fell) should be pliable, not hard and wrinkled.
