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Leg of lamb for a dinner party question

post #1 of 10
7/7/09 at 5:59am
Thread Starter 
This evening I am going to have friends over and I am going to serve them a roasted leg of lamb. My company will arrive around 2 but dinner wont be served till around 7. I am trying to figure out a way to cook the lamb before everyone gets here without ruining the quality of the meal. My concern is cooking the lamb this afternoon then reheating it and overcooking it. Is there a technique for precooking the meat ahead of time and reheating it so that it isn't overdone?
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post #2 of 10
7/7/09 at 8:40am
not really, or at least not to my knowledge. I would try a low and slow roasting in a covered pan. Then turn up the heat for the last 5 minutes after taking the top off to get some nice color, if ya hadn't seared it in a skillet before placing in the oven. best of luck.
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post #3 of 10
7/7/09 at 8:46am
Sounds like a good time for the timed bake feature of most ovens. Get everything set in the oven before the guests arrive and let the oven do the rest for turning itself on and off at the right times.
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post #4 of 10
7/7/09 at 11:22am
Why not go for a whole lamb and cook it on a spit, that takes about 5 hours.
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post #5 of 10
7/7/09 at 6:11pm
Thread Starter 
I appreciate the feedback. Things turned out well. Unfortunately I am not equipped with a spit or a timer oven. I think that next time I am going to go for the slow cooking method. I cooked it at about 350. When I took it out the first time it was a little too rare and I put it back in. The pieces I had already cut where gray, but the uncut portion was soft and the right amount of bloody.

Thanks again for the advice.
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post #6 of 10
10/7/09 at 1:12pm
Yes, the slow roasting method (in the oven) has always been my favorite. That is how mom always cooked it when I was a kid and I loved it!

Damon from www.amazing-easy-recipes.com
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post #7 of 10
10/7/09 at 1:38pm
Great idea if you have 20 to 30 friends over???:chef:
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post #8 of 10
10/7/09 at 7:32pm
One of the best lamb legs I did was a large, bone in one. It was braised in a slow over, I think 275, with white wine, rosemary and 2 - 3 heads of garlic. And some other seasonings I'm sure. It took about 4 hours or so. It was adapted from a recipe I saw in Bob Appetit some years back. Folks who were a bit leery of lamb were going back for another slice.

Personally I like lamb and prefer it grilled rare, but the well-done slow braise was tasty. The roasting pan juices were reduced for a sauce, I don't remember if I thickened them or not. All in all people enjoyed it. And it was something you can prepare earlier then pop the loaded roasting pan into the oven and forget it for a while.

A little late for your party, just a note for future reference.

mjb.
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post #9 of 10
10/7/09 at 8:45pm
Paula Wolfert has a fabulous recipe for Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Pomegranate Glaze and Red Onion-Parsley Relish in The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. The meat marinates at room temp for 2 to 3 hours, then roasts for about 2 1/4 hours. You put it into a 450 degrees F oven but immediately turn it down to 250F. By the time it has rested, it's a perfect rare roast. And it smells wonderful the whole time.
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post #10 of 10
10/8/09 at 12:34am
For dinner parties I often buy a large leg of lamb, sit it in a roasting tray on a bed of root veg, chuck in a handful of unpeeled garlic cloves, a bunch of herbs including rosemary and thyme, a big glass of red wine and salt & pepper. Cover tightly with foil and throw in a low oven for 6-7 hours.
You won't need to carve the lamb, it will just pull softly away from the bone. The veg in the tray will make beautiful gravy. Take the lamb out and leave it covered with foil in a warm place, put the roasting tin back on the heat and add some stock or water. Squidge up the veg, herbs and garlic, then strain. Season to taste and there you go!
The beauty of this dish is it can hang around in a very low oven for a long time without any deterioration of quality.
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