More Meat

My, what a meaty weekend I had. We had a beautiful leg of lamb on Sunday, stuffed to the brim with anchovies, rosemary and garlic.

Living with just one other often means it isn't really viable to have a roast dinner; you might as well get yourself a steak, or a lamb or pork chop instead.

I've completely abandoned the idea of a Sunday roast pub lunch - I haven't had a single decent one in recent memory. Often you get thin, grey meat, so over-cooked you can't even differentiate what meat it is. Sad yellowing vegetables that have had a time and a half under hot lamps to keep them warm swim around the plate in a limp, salty Bisto-like sea of death. On one occasion, perfectly square wafer-thin slices of stuffing resembling a minature piece of MDF even had the audacity to wink at me from my over-priced plate in a trendy N1 pub (yes, you, Keston Lodge. Tsk!).

So, what about roasts? For me, leg of lamb must be pink for tender, juicy meat. The highest heat for 20 mins to caramelise the outside of the roast, and then 15 minutes per 450gr and a good long rest, perhaps 40 minutes. Served with boulangere potatoes, simply steamed broccoli and carrots and a dribble of gravy made from the juices. Heaven.