GIGOT D'AGNEAU RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• It is recommended that you have the butcher remove and set aside the hipbone of the lamb. This is the upper bone that is attached to the main (straight) leg bone. This can also be done in the home kitchen, using a thin, sharp boning knife, neatly cutting all around the meat attached to the hipbone and severing the hipbone from the main bone. Cut off and discard the skin, leaving a light layer of fat.
• Rub the meat all over with the oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the thyme.
• Make 16 gashes in the flesh of the leg and insert the garlic slivers.
• Place the leg, the thickest side down, in a roasting pan and scatter around it the hipbone, onion halves (cut side down), bay leaves and carrot pieces.
• Place in the oven and bake one hour. Remove the lamb and pour off the fat from the pan.
• Return the lamb to the pan, the thickest side up.
• Pour the water into the pan and continue baking 30 minutes for medium-rare lamb (135 degrees internal temperature). If you wish the lamb well done, continue cooking 30 minutes or longer. In any event, remove the lamb from the oven, discarding the hipbone and vegetables, cover with foil and let it stand for 20 minutes before carving. Serve, if desired, with flageolet beans in cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter open leg of lamb and set aside. Place garlic, rosemary, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper in a food processor and blend till smooth. Remove paste and smear all over inside and outside of lamb. Roll lamb up like a jelly roll and tie with butcher's twine. Place in a roasting pan and put into oven. Roast 45 to 50 min for medium-rare (internal temperature of 120 degrees). Remove and allow to rest 10 min before carving. Serve with simple roasted potatoes, green beans and eggplant timbales. This recipe yields 4 servings.