Spring Lamb Roast (Recipe)

I have recently been reconnected with Australian Lamb.  For those of you who know me, you know I like to shop and eat local more often than not.  In fact, the other day I saw that some grass fed beef was on sale, but then I saw that it was from Australia and I didn’t give it another second because why would I buy grass fed beef from Australia when I can buy local beef.   

The thing about Australian lamb though is that it tastes different.  It has a little less earthiness and is so delicate and tender. I don’t buy only American wines.  I don’t buy American olive oil.  I also don’t buy meat that often so when I do buy it, I want meat that I love the taste of.  American lamb is very tasty and there are some great farms nearby for lamb.  On the other hand, Australian lamb has it’s own characteristic.  It is grass fed from start to finish and the environment it is raised in gives it it’s own flavour.  It all comes back to terroir.

I grew up on Australian lamb in Canada.  It was the best lamb available and my mom cooked lamb often because it was a favourite of hers and it was less expensive than other meat.

I was recently invited to a lamb dinner hosted by Australian Lamb, KO Pies and Harpoon brewery and fell in love with Australian lamb.  As a child, I didn’t appreciate lamb at all.  As an adult, I’ve discovered a new love for it especially because it gets me out of a chicken and beef rut. Australian lamb tastes a bit less gamey to me and it is incredibly tender. That is why I prefer it. I was recently sent a few samples of Australian lamb to play with in the kitchen: a leg of lamb and a rack of lamb. 

The first recipe I tried was a roast leg of lamb.

A roast is a beautiful thing.  It is dramatic and luxurious, yet it is one of the simplest pieces of meat to cook so long as you do it carefully. To be able to cook your roast to perfection, a thermometer is very helpful.  I used this recipe from The Kitchn as a guide, but I love the taste of mustard on lamb, so I modified the rub. Also, my lamb took quite a bit longer to come to temperature.

Additional ingredients needed:

• 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
• replace 3 sprigs of rosemary with:
  1 sprig of rosemary, 1 sprig of thyme, 1 sprig of oregano

After browning the meat in the broiler I let it cool for a bit. Then on each side of the roast, rub 1 TBSP of the Dijon mustard.  Chop the herbs finely and mix the herbs with a tsp of kosher salt and some pepper.  After rubbing the Dijon mustard on one side of the leg of lamb sprinkle the herbs and garlic onto the mustard and press it in.  Then flip the roast over and do the same on the other side. 

The best thing about serving a roast for dinner is having some leftovers.  Thin slices of roast leg of lamb are delectable for a sandwich.

Save the drippings from the roast, and you can make a gorgeous gravy for a lamb French dip.

Here are a few other delectable recipes that you can serve your family for a Passover Seder or Easter dinner: Garlic and Oregano Roast Boneless Leg of Australian Lamb, Rosemary and Lemon Australian Lamb Rack with mushrooms and spinach to the table. Australian lamb is available at most major grocery stores in Eastern New England, including Whole Foods Market, Stop & Shop, Costco, Wegmans and Shaw’s.