British Expatriate Network

Ok, I'm not a professional cook but this is how I make this lamb dish.
Take your leg of lamb, make sure it's clean and dry, score very lightly.
Take your old bread and swizz it in the food processor until you have a reasonably fine crumb, but not too fine.
At this point I usually chop any herb that's available in the garden, a bit of thymme, savory, marjoram, whatever, so the crust will have green flecks and taste, and a sprinkle of salt and a good turn of fresh black pepper.
Then I take some Colemans mustard, if it was just me and his nibs it would be all colemans, but most Americans find Colemans toooo hot, so I mix Colemans with a dijon, which is always fairly mild I find.
Spread your mustard over the lamb and then press the crumb mix onto the mustard. Bit messy but no problem, just don't wipe your eyes.
I then plonk the whole shabang onto a rack in a roasting tray and roast at the usual temp, if if starts to burn, turn it down.
I usually do a 6/7 pound leg and it takes about 3 maybe 3and a half hours, I don't like pink lamb. Check your internal temp with a thermometer. Make sure it's cooked.
Take out of oven, leave to sit for at least 15 minutes, time for a glass of wine, a nice french merlot is a cracker with this dish and should always be tried before serving at the table! then slice on the diagional.
Your lamb should be nice and firm, but juicy with a tinge of mustard flavour. If your crust isn't crisp enough, once you've hit the right internal temp or a pretty close, whack up the temp for 15 mins.
Sorry I'm not precise, cooking has always been a bit of this, a dash of that and a handful of the other. Be sparing with the mustard though. Less is more. razz

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by annie on 2001-12-05 1748 ]</font>

Oh Annie, it sounds delicious! Thank you!
Hubby loves Coleman mustard, so I don't have a problem there.
I've never heard of this recipe before, is it your own?
I usually just rub the lamb with seasoned flour, cut slits all over it and insert rosemary just picked from the garden so it's "still growing!" into the slits!
I cover it with butter wrappers and roast. Mint sauce, made fresh while the meat is roasting to go with it...Mmmmm!
But, I'm going to try it your way this time....I've a feeling I'll have a "double" Mmmmm Mmmmm razz razz

Mel, I usually cook lamb in the way you do, with the rosemary, which when I said lamb for Christmas dinner, I was met with, not with rosemary again. So I resorted to the crumb crust. I can't remember where I got the recipe, I've used it for years.
Hope you enjoy, and don't forget the merlot, nice and fruity, but dry, try to avoid a Californian one, they're so heavy and dour in comparison to the French.

Oh dear....Just wait to some of the US expats see this....

I feel they're just different. Just as Spanish wines are differen from French.

We prefer French (we actually bought a killer 1996 Montrachet last night for xmas), but they all have they're inherent qualities, especially when you get out of the "plonk" territory.

Some of my CA favourites are from Sterling, Kenwood, Cakebread Cellars and Viansa.

Back to the lamb recipe, looks really good, except I like my lamb a little rare in the middle and tend to cook it over coals. Lamb is one of the finest meats to grill over charcoal as it can take a hammering with the heat.

Have you tried goat?

Andrew

I mot certainly won't forget the wine! the most important part of dinner after all! lol

I don't have to buy Californian wine, nor do I have to offend American ex-pats, because we I have five excellent winerys within a half hours drive of here!

We're on the Umqua Valley Wine Tour Route, and some of their wines are quite good. (Hic!)

I quite like my lamb on the pink side too, but as it's my favourite meat, I'll eat it any which way!
I really am going to try the mustard crumb crust.
Hubby looked at the recipe too and is eagerly awaiting his Christmas dinner! lol

Sarah Moulton on Foodtv my favourite channel has a recipe similar to this, she uses a frenched rack of lamb, browns it on all side in a very hot skillet, then paints it with a mixture of equal parts dijon mustard and mayonnaise, the dips it in fresh breadcrumbs flavoured with chopped rosemary and salt and pepper. Goes into a hot oven till internal temp of 130F, then let rest for lovely rare lamb. The only benefit in this over the leg of lamb method is that you can have it on the table in less than an hour start to finish, because it usually takes only about 20min oven cooking time. I love lamb cooked this way. speaking of lamb, when I was growing up mum and dad didn't have much readies as they say, so mum used to buy breast of lamb, cook it in the oven till the fat was nice and crispy and the meat was melting, and we used to sit and eat it with roast spuds, gravy and peas. It was a nice cheap dinner and we loved it. Sad to say you cant get breast of lamb in springfield, MA. Just as well, there was lots of nice fat on those breasts, probably not the healthiest of cuts, but they were PUKKA!!!

Try getting to know a butcher..(even one at a supermarket).

Most places will order special cuts, but they just don't carry them as they'll probably not sell.

Andrew