Lamsbout (Dutch Roast Leg of Lamb)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large roasting tin
• •Small sharp knife
• •Meat thermometer
• •Carving knife and board

Instructions

1. 1

   Temper the lamb

   Take the lamb from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. Pat it dry, then use a small sharp knife to make shallow slits all over the fat and thicker parts of the meat. Push a slice of garlic into each slit. Cold meat roasts unevenly; give it time on the counter and the oven will behave like a colleague rather than an enemy.

2. 2

   Season the roast

   Mix the chopped rosemary, mustard, olive oil, softened butter, salt, and pepper into a rough paste. Rub it all over the lamb, working it into the scored fat. Lay the onion slices and whole rosemary sprigs in a roasting tin and set the lamb on top, fat side up. The onions are not a garnish; they are the beginning of the gravy.

3. 3

   Roast it hot

   Heat the oven to 220C. Roast the lamb for 20 minutes, until the fat begins to colour and the mustard darkens at the edges. This first heat gives the outside its savoury crust. After that, the work becomes gentler, as it should.

4. 4

   Lower and finish

   Lower the oven to 170C and pour the wine into the tin, not over the meat. Roast for another 55 to 70 minutes, basting once or twice with the pan juices, until the thickest part reaches 58C for rosy lamb or 63C for medium. If you don't use a thermometer, pierce the thickest part: the juices should run pink and clear, not red and cloudy.

   A thermometer is not modern fussiness. It is mercy for an expensive piece of meat, and it prevents the old Dutch tragedy of roasting lamb until it has become a lecture on regret.
5. 5

   Rest the meat

   Lift the lamb to a warm board, cover it loosely, and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not skip this. The juices need time to settle back into the meat, and the temperature will rise a little as it rests. Slice too soon and the board eats better than your guests.

6. 6

   Make the jus

   Set the roasting tin over medium heat, add the stock, and scrape up the browned onion and lamb juices from the bottom. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until glossy and slightly reduced. Taste, then add the vinegar only if the sauce needs a sharper edge. Strain if you want politeness; leave the onions in if your table has sense.

7. 7

   Carve and serve

   Carve the lamb across the grain into generous slices and spoon the pan juices over the meat. Serve with boiled new potatoes, roasted carrots, green beans, or white asparagus if Easter has arrived late enough for the season to agree.

Chef Tips

• •Buy lamb from a butcher who can tell you where it grazed. Texel lamb and Zeeland schorrenlam, salt-marsh lamb, have a clean mineral sweetness; if you cannot find them, choose the best spring lamb you can, not the largest.
• •Rosemary belongs here, but don't bury the meat under a hedge of it. Lamb carries its own character. The herb should walk beside it, not climb on its back.
• •For Easter, serve with white asparagus only when the season has truly begun. White asparagus in March is often a promise made too early; new potatoes and green beans are more honest if spring is still cold.
• •Leftover lamb is excellent sliced thin the next day with mustard, rye bread, and pickles. History and cookery, they cannot be separated, but lunch also has rights.

Advance Preparation

• •The lamb can be rubbed with the mustard, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper up to 12 hours ahead; keep it covered in the refrigerator, then bring it out 1 hour before roasting.
• •The onions can be sliced and the stock measured earlier in the day, which leaves the Easter kitchen calmer when guests arrive.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated. Reheat slices gently in a little reserved jus, or serve cold with mustard and bread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 295g)