Roasted Leg of Lamb (Irish)

It has been said that as roast beef is to England, roast lamb is to Ireland. If you have pan juices left over from this recipe, consider saving them to make Gerry Galvin's recipe for Roast Pike with Lamb Sauce, Lovage and Bacon. Any leftover meat may be used for Jellied Lamb.

1 (5-6 lb) leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat (2.5-3 kg)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered lengthwise
12 small sprigs thyme
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C/240°C fan, Gas Mark 10).

With the tip of a small, sharp knife, make 24 small incisions all over the skin of the lamb. Push a quarter of a clove garlic into each of them. With the same knife, make 12 more incisions, evenly distributed around the leg, and push a sprig of thyme into each of them. Brush butter all over the lamb leg and season generously with salt and pepper.

Place the lamb on a low rack in a roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) and continue to roast for about 1 hour for medium-rare lamb, basting occasionally. (For medium lamb, roast 20 minutes longer; for well-done lamb, roast another 20 minutes.)

Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.

Makes 6-8 servings.