Bon Appetit/April 2003

Roast Leg of Lamb with Fennel Butter

Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Calories % from Fat Fat Sodium Carbohydrates Protein Cholesterol
6-8 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A


INGREDIENTS:
SEASONED BUTTER: 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature 3 tablespoons fennel seeds, crushed in plastic bag with mallet 3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons dried crushed rosemary LAMB: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 6 to 6-1/2 pound bone-in leg of lamb, well trimmed
2 cups dry red wine 1-1/3 cups low-salt chicken broth fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)



1 FOR SEASONED BUTTER: Mix all ingredients with fork in medium bowl.
2 FOR LAMB: Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450 F. Pour 2 tablespoons oil into large roasting pan. Place pan directly atop 2 burners over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Add lamb to pan and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove pan from heat. Brush lamb with half of seasoned butter.
3 Roast lamb 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F; continue roasting until thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 130 F for medium-rare, about 40 minutes longer. Transfer to platter; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes.
4 Skim off fat from drippings in roasting pan. Place pan atop 2 burners over high heat. Add wine and broth. Boil until mixture is reduce to 2 cups, about 13 minutes. Whisk in remaining seasoned butter (sauce will be thin). Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
5 Garnish lamb with rosemary sprigs, if desired. Serve with sauce.

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