I have to confess, my family and I don’t usually go all out with our Christmas dinners at home.
We usually just prepare simple meals, play holiday songs, and get a little drunk on wine. With that said, never would it have ever crossed my mind to consider cooking lamb roast, no matter how special the occasion, for two reasons: one, it’s a difficult recipe to do when, like me, you don’t cook that often; and two, I was terrified of ruining it.
But fate had brought a huge lamb rump to our kitchen table and I knew that I was going to have to overcome this challenge of serving the most amazing roasted lamb I could ever attempt to make without any prior knowledge or experience of roasting anything.
After researching for simple recipes, I found one that seemed the least complicated. All you need is a whole head of garlic, minced, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, one tablespoon of sea salt, and one tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary (or dried rosemary, which is what I used).
Below is the step-by-step process of what I did:
- Preheat the oven
- Pat lamb rump dry and, using a sharp knife, score the top fat side with shallow cuts
- Pound the minced garlic, black pepper, salt, and rosemary into a paste in a small bowl
- Rub it all over the lamb, place it on a roasting pan, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (~218 degrees Celsius), then drop the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (~177 degrees Celsius) to cook for one hour and 15 minutes
- Let it rest on a cutting board for 15 to 25 minutes
Carving it was the moment of truth and I was really nervous to see how it turned out. I could already see that the lamb ended up medium-well even though I was aiming for medium-rare. But when I took a bite, I kid you not, it tasted like heaven in my mouth! It was mouthwateringly delicious, a little sinful (because of the fat), and so addicting. Even my dad, who is admittedly not a fan of lamb, couldn’t help but gorge down on a hefty portion.
Of course, I owe it to the excellent quality of the lamb too which I sourced from Alternatives Food Corporation (AFC Philippines). I also got a pack of Potato Dippers (which I just oven-baked on a baking sheet for 20 minutes and served on the side with the roasted lamb) and New Zealand Littleneck Clams (which my sister prepared Spaghetti Alle Vongole with) from them to really complete our fancy weekend wine-and-dine night.
(ALSO READ: LOOK: You Can Now Have Imported Meat, Poultry And Seafood Delivered Straight To Your Home)
It fills me with delight that something I was so intimidated by turned out to be quite easy after all. I’m pretty certain that I’ll be serving roasted lamb to my family again during the holidays, and I insist that you do too!
Alternatives Food Corporation
www.alternatives.ph
https://www.facebook.com/afcphils2017
https://www.instagram.com/afcphils
Contact numbers: 0917 571 7979, 0917 816 0209
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