Leg of Lamb with Rosemary, Pine Nut and Raisin Stuffing
The AGA Portmeirion Roaster with Pouring Lip is an excellent dish in which to cook the lamb in the Roasting Oven, where it slides directly onto the oven runners. Its flat base gives it the ability to be used direct on the Simmering Plate, ideal for making the gravy and the unique lip makes it easy to pour out the gravy or sauce. After use it can be placed in the dishwasher or put to soak and washed by hand.
A boned leg of lamb makes a lovely centre piece and it is easy to carve, ask your butcher for the lamb bone which can be used for stock, which enhances the taste of the gravy. Stock is not difficult to make, just throw the ingredients into an AGA 3 litre stainless steel saucepan, bring to the boil and the AGA Simmering Oven does the rest. The stock can be made the day before.
The stuffing mix contains rosemary, a herb which complements lamb and toasted pine nuts with a sweetness from large Lexia raisins or golden raisins. It does not need any butter or oil and the breadcrumbs are from wholemeal bread.
Once the meat is cooked it is placed on a serving dish and put to rest for 20 minutes, this is ample time for making the gravy, using the vegetables in the roaster and the lovely stock you have made plus some red wine and sweetness from some red currant jelly (or damson jam).
Pour the gravy through a sieve to remove the vegetables, squashing through softened vegetables and the garlic pulp. Decant the gravy into the Delamere Portmeirion for AGA Sauce Boat, a new addition to the AGA ceramic range which come complete with stand. Serve with the lamb and seasonal vegetables of your choice.
LEG OF LAMB WITH ROSEMARY, PINE NUT AND RAISIN STUFFING
A boned leg of lamb with this tasty stuffing makes a wonderful centre piece for Easter celebration lunch or indeed any Sunday lunch! Ask your butcher for the lamb bone to make stock for the gravy.
Serves 6
1 x AGA Portmeirion Roaster with Pouring Lip
Stock:
1 lamb bone
1 stick of celery, sliced
1 red onion, quartered
Sprig of rosemary
Salt and black pepper
850ml water
Stuffing:
60g pine nuts
125g wholemeal bread crumbs
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
100g golden raisins or Lexia raisins
2-3 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 clove of garlic, grated
Salt and black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Lamb:
2 kg leg of lamb, boned
2 red onions, cut into wedges
2 sticks of celery, thickly sliced
2 carrots, thickly sliced
4-5 whole cloves of garlic, skin on
Salt and black pepper
Rosemary sprigs
Little rape seed oil
Salt flakes
Ground black pepper
Sauce:
1½ tbsp plain flour
150ml red wine
2 tbsp red currant jelly or damson jam
Method
Firstly make the stock (this can be done the day before) by placing all the ingredients into an AGA Stainless Steel Saucepan, put on the lid and bring to the boil on the Boiling Plate then transfer to the Simmering Oven for 2 hours. Cool the stock, skim off any fat and strain. Return the stock to a clean saucepan and reduce the liquid to about 600ml, cool and keep in the refrigerator until required.
To make the stuffing. Begin by toasting the pine nuts, either on the hotplate in a sauté pan or on a tray in the Roasting Oven – they take about 4 minutes in the oven. Mix the toasted pine nuts with the remaining ingredients to form the stuffing.
Open up the boned leg of lamb and pack with the stuffing mix, reform to its original shape and tie the meat up with four pieces of string.
Before placing the meat in the AGA Portmeirion Roaster with Pouring Lip, make a vegetable bed for it to sit on – tip the prepared onions, celery, carrots and whole garlic bulbs into the base of the Roaster, season with salt and pepper and scatter over a few rosemary sprigs. Then place the stuffed leg of lamb on top, rub a little rape seed oil over the lamb, so that the seasoning will stick to it, and sprinkle with salt flakes and coarsely ground black pepper. Top with sprigs of fresh rosemary.
2, 3, 4 and 5 oven AGA: Slide the AGA Portmeirion Roaster with Pouring Lip onto the lowest set of runners in the Roasting Oven and cook for 1½-2 hours, turning the Roaster once for even cooking.
Remove the lamb and place on a serving dish, cut off the string. Let the lamb rest for 20 minutes either in the Warming Oven, if you have one, or next to the AGA, while you make the gravy.
Place the Roaster complete with the vegetables, onto the Simmering Plate, add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes then gradually stir in the stock, red wine and red currant jelly. Check for seasoning and boil for 2 minutes. Tip the gravy via the pouring lip through a sieve to remove the vegetable flavourings and pour into the AGA Sauce Boat.
Serve with buttered new potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli and steamed carrots.
Conventional cooking: Roast in a preheated oven at 200°C, fan oven 180°C, Gas Mark 6 for 1½-2 hours.
Dawn Roads
AGA Specialist
